Grand Palace Bangkok

3 years ago

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Culture-Government Building Culture-Historical Building Culture-Landmark Culture-Palace Culture-Temple Exhibition-Architecture Exhibition-History Exhibition-Sculpture

Since the pandemic has hit even Thailand, it has led to disappearance of tourist crowds. This was the reason I decided to visit the Grand Palace for the very first time after being in the country for more than 3 years. In the current situation you don't have to queue for an hour to buy a ticket to get in as it used to be before the pandemic. You can also enjoy the beautiful surroundings while not being squeezed among hundreds of people. So here I went and did not regret it. The palace, as a former residence of the Royal family, is a beautiful, impressive, sometimes breathtaking complex of buildings. It not only used to be a home for the king but also his court, and his royal government was based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. Today, it is still used for various royal and religious ceremonial purposes such as the Royal Coronation. While you can immerse yourself in the environment, architecture and culture as well as elements of the history, you can follow and listen to a guide you can hire and who will guide you through the entire palace complex. The historical background of the Royal Palace highlights the history of the entire Thailand and former Siam, therefore an authorized guide is highly recommended. The temple of the Emerald Buddha is probably the most well-known reason why people visit the Grand Palace. It's majestic, breathtaking and it hosts the most sacred Buddha statue and image in Thailand. The Buddha statue changes 3 different seasonal costumes during the year to mark the change of hot, rainy and cool seasons, so many local residents are visiting the temple every time the costume is changed under a ceremony which is performed by His Majesty King of Thailand. The visit was great although the hot weather made me stay in temples and palaces longer than admiring them from the outside in the sun. So, remember to put your sunscreen on. It was a great decision to start my sightseeing in Bangkok with a visit to the Royal Palace since it provided me with a deep understanding of Thailand’s history, culture and their traditional elements. The entire area of the Royal Palace was built like a city so make sure to allocate enough time for the visit. Photo: Oksana Petersen