Bangkok Day 2 - March 19th

The Royal Palace

The Golden Stupa is a major shrine of the Royal Temple inside the Royal Palace grounds and is said to contain ashes of the Buddha. The surface is covered by two million one-inch diamond-shaped tiles, each gilded with a dollar’s worth of gold. Yep, $2 million total.

Below is a section of hand painted wall mural; one of 178 that encircle the Palace grounds under covered archways. Thai kings take the name Rama claiming immortality as descendants of the Hindu God Rama, seventh avatar of Vishnu. The panels recount the Ramayana, the events of Rama’s 

incarnation, life, and struggles.

Yes,Thailand is Theravada Buddhist (93.6%). Hinduism and Buddhism are much more ecumenical than Christianity.

For 150 years the Royal Palace was the royal residence of the King. 100 years ago, the Royal Family moved to a new residence because this 60 acre complex was not big enough for the King, his 100 wives, and his more than 3000 children. Yes, this was basis for the Yul Brenner hit movie and the Broadway show, “The King and I.”

Below is the Royal Reception Hall, still used today for official functions. There is a reception area for women on the left and for men on the right; they may not be co-mingled. The grand dining room sits 2000.

Below is the alter of temple of the Emerald Buddha inside the Palace Grounds Temple, the most sacred temple in Thai Buddhism. The picture was taken with a telephoto lens from outside the temple; no cameras are allowed inside. Little known fact: the Emerald Buddha is actually made of Jade.

The Emerald Buddha wears three different sets solid-gold vestments, depending on the religious calendar. Only the King himself may undress and dress the Emerald Buddha. Images of the three outfits below are from a postcard:

Wat Arun - the Temple of Dawn

We took a long boat across Bangkok’s main river to see the Temple of Dawn, Wat Arun. This view of the temple is one of the most iconic shots of Bangkok, or at least it is when the main Stupa is not obscured by scaffolding for refurbishment:

Like the other major Temples, Wat Arun has an Ordination Room for the induction into the Temple Order of monks who have completed their training. This temple inside the temple is open for worship and is the most sacred place in the temple complex. We could go inside and take pictures if we removed our hats and shoes and had on long pants or long skirts and acted respectfully:

Here behind Joani you can see the beautiful inlay work on one of the minor stupas of Wat Arun

Finally, here is the modern Bangkok downtown skyline as seen from the river:

Joani flies to Siem Reap tomorrow with an Oceania overland tour to Angkor Wat; while Bob will be seeing Sihanoukville where the ship is docking. We will meet back up in two days in Saigon.