Photo Galleries
Bangkok Palace
June 2016
Bangkok has many palaces, but the most famous is the Grand Palace complex and its royal temple, Wat Phra Kaeo. Although Thailand’s kings no longer live here, the complex is still used for ceremonies and administrative functions, and it’s hugely popular with tourists. Monumental buildings, with gilded roofs and glittering statues, attest to the wealth and glory of the much-loved Chakri dynasty, which has ruled Thailand for more than 200 years.
This central building in Bangkok's Grand Palace complex was built in 1882 in a mix of European and Thai styles
Gaudy demon statues guard the entrance to the palace's monastery, Wat Phra Kaeo
This golden chedi, built by King Rama IV in the mid-1800s, houses a piece of the Buddha's breastbone
Wat Phra Kaeo's buildings glitter with millions of colored mirrored tiles
Memorial to former Thai kings' favorite elephants
Glittering demon figures holding up a building
A statute of a mythical half-woman, half-bird creature
Porcelain-inlaid wall of the Royal Pantheon, honoring the current dynasty of Thai kings
The spire of the Royal Pantheon
A monk (possibly Burmese from the color of his robes) visiting Wat Phra Kaeo
Looking through the holiest part of Wat Phra Kaeo, the ordination hall housing the revered Emerald Buddha
Garudas (mythical bird-man creatures) hold up the base of the ordination hall
The glittering surroundings can't compete with a cell phone
Wat Phra Kaeo and the palace are swarming with tourists, mainly from China
Carved doors on another part of the wat glorify the rice harvest
The galleries surrounding Wat Phra Kaeo are painted with scenes from the Hindu epic the Ranayama, a centerpiece of Thailand's national mythology
This gilded chariot resembles ones we say in the National Museum
Near Wat Phra Kaeo stand former palace buildings built in the 18th and 19th centuries (now used mainly for ceremonies and administration; the buildings still in use by the royal family are off-limits to visitors)
This great hall is known as the "farang (foreigner) with a Thai crown" because of its mix of European and Thai styles
The symbol of the ruling Chakri dynasty: a discus (chak) and a trident (ri)
Tourists watch the changing of the guard at the palace complex
Another view of the "farang with a Thai crown" palace
This audience hall, built by King Rama I in the late 1700s, is one of the oldest buildings in the palace complex
One of the gilded chariots used during funeral processions for members of the royal family
