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BK01 |
GRAND PALACE & EMERALD BUDDHA TEMPLE TOUR
(DAILY : 8 A.M. & 1 P.M.)
(TOURING TIME : APPROXIMATELY 3 - 3.5 HOURS) |
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TOUR ITINERARY :
- DEPART HOTEL BY PRIVATE AIR - CONDITIONED VAN WITH LICENSED ENGLISH - SPEAKING GUIDE
ACROSS THE CITY TO THE OLD BANGKOK
- ARRIVE AT OLD BANGKOK TO VISIT THE GRAND PALACE AND EMERALD BUDDHA TEMPLE
- RETURN BY VAN TO THE HOTEL
( REMARK : MOVIE CAMERA ( 8 MM. ONLY ) AND STILL CAMERAS ARE ALLOWED IN THE GRAND PALACE
GROUNDS AND IN THE COMPOUND OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA TEMPLE. HOWEVER, CAMERAS
CANNOT BE USED INSIDE BUILDINGS )
( SHORTS & SLIPPERS ARE NOT ALLOWED )
TOUR PRICES :
1 PAX - 2,680 BAHT
2 PAX - 1,620 BAHT EACH
3 - 4 PAX - 1,410 BAHT EACH
5 - 6 PAX - 1,260 BAHT EACH
TRANSPORT :
* WIDE-BODY TOYOTA VAN (3000)( 9 - SEATED )
* MERCEDES BENZ VAN (MB140)( 9 - SEATED )
PRICE INCLUDES :
- PRIVATE VAN WITH LICENSED ENGLISH - SPEAKING GUIDE
- ALL ADMISSION FEES
- 1 MILLION BAHT INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR EACH GUEST DURING THE TOUR
( GRAND PALACE & EMERALD BUDDHA TEMPLE )
THE GRAND PALACE IS A COMPLEX OF BUILDINGS IN BANGKOK, THAILAND. IT SERVED AS THE OFFICIAL
RESIDENCE OF THE KINGS OF THAILAND FROM THE 18TH CENTURY ONWARDS. CONSTRUCTION OF THE
PALACE BEGAN IN 1782, DURING THE REIGN OF KING RAMA I, WHEN HE MOVED THE CAPITAL ACROSS
THE RIVER FROM THONBURI TO BANGKOK. THE PALACE HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY EXPANDED AND MANY
ADDITIONAL STRUCTURES WERE ADDED OVER TIME. THE PRESENT KING OF THAILAND, KING BHUMIBOL
ADULYADEJ, HOWEVER, RESIDES AT THE CHITRALADA PALACE.
WHEN KING BUDDHA YODFA CHULALOKE (RAMA I) DECIDED TO MOVE THE CAPITAL OF SIAM FROM
THONBURI ON THE WEST TO BANGKOK ON THE EAST OF THE CHAO PHRAYA RIVER HE DECIDED TO
BUILD A MAGNIFICENT NEW PALACE AS A PLACE OF RESIDENCE AS WELL AS A CENTRE OF
GOVERNMENT. THE AREA CHOSEN WAS HOWEVER OCCUPIED BY CHINESE MERCHANTS, WHOM HE
PROMPTLY ASKED TO RELOCATE (TO THE PRESENT DAY YAOWARAT AREA).
THE TOWER OF GOLD BEGAN CONSTRUCTION ON 6 MAY 1782. AT FIRST THE PALACE CONSISTED OF
SEVERAL WOODEN BUILDINGS SURROUNDED ON FOUR SIDES WITH A HIGH DEFENSIVE WALL OF 1,900
METRES IN LENGTH, WHICH ENCLOSES AN AREA OF 218,400 SQUARE METRES. SOON THE KING ORDERED
THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA; AS THE MONARCH'S PERSONAL PLACE OF
WORSHIP AND ROYAL TEMPLE. ONCE THE PALACE WAS COMPLETE THE KING DECIDED TO UNDERGO A
CORONATION CEREMONY TO CELEBRATE IN 1785.
THE PLAN OF THE GRAND PALACE FOLLOWED CLOSELY THAT OF THE OLD PALACE IN AYUTTHAYA. THE
PALACE IS RECTANGULAR SHAPED, WITH THE WESTERN SIDE NEXT TO A RIVER AND THE ROYAL TEMPLE
SITUATED TO THE EAST SIDE, WITH ALL STRUCTURES FACING NORTH. THE PALACE ITSELF IS DIVIDED
INTO THREE QUARTERS: THE OUTER QUARTERS, THE MIDDLE QUARTERS AND THE INNER QUARTERS.
THE PALACE BECAME THE CENTRE OF THE RATTANAKOSIN GOVERNMENT AND ROYAL COURT FOR
MOST OF THE EARLY CHAKRI DYNASTY UNTIL THE REIGN OF KING CHULALONGKORN (RAMA V) WHO
PREFERRED TO STAY AT THE DUSIT PALACE, BUT STILL USED THE GRAND PALACE AS AN OFFICE AND
PRIMARY PLACE OF RESIDENCE. THIS PRACTICE WAS FOLLOWED BY HIS SONS
(RAMA VI AND RAMA VII) WHO PREFERRED THEIR OWN PALACES. KING ANANDA MAHIDOL (RAMA VIII)
MOVED INTO THE PALACE FULL TIME AFTER HIS RETURN FROM ABROAD IN 1945. HOWEVER
AFTER HIS MYSTERIOUS DEATH A YEAR LATER IN ONE OF THE PALACES INSIDE THE COMPLEX,
HIS BROTHER KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ (RAMA IX) WHO SUCCEEDED HIM DECIDED TO MOVE
PERMANENTLY TO THE CHITRALADA PALACE.
THE PALACE IS HOWEVER STILL VERY MUCH IN USE; AS MANY ROYAL RITUALS ARE PERFORMED
HERE BY THE KING EVERY YEAR. OTHER ROYAL CEREMONIES CELEBRATED HERE ARE
CORONATIONS; ROYAL MARRIAGES AND STATE BANQUETS. THE PALACE GROUNDS ALSO
CONTAIN THE OFFICES AND BUILDINGS OF THE BUREAU OF THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD, THE OFFICE
OF THE PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE KING AND ROYAL INSTITUTE OF THAILAND.
( HISTORY OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA )
IT IS NOT KNOW FOR SURE WHEN THE EMERALD BUDDHA WAS CARVED HOWEVER JUDGING FROM THE
APPEARANCE AND STYLE ONE COULD CONCLUDE IT WAS CARVED IN NORTHERN THAILAND NOT MUCH
EARLIER THAN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE EMERALD BUDDHA, WHICH IS IN AN
ATTITUDE OF MEDITATION, LOOKS MUCH LIKE SOME OF THE BUDDHA IMAGES OF SOUTHERN INDIA AND
SRI LANKA. THIS ATTITUDE OF MEDITATION HAS NEVER BEEN POPULAR IN OTHER THAI CARVINGS OF
BUDDHA IMAGES SO ONE MIGHT ASSIGN THE ORIGIN TO ONE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED COUNTRIES.
ACCORDING TO RELIABLE CHRONICLES, LIGHTNING STRUCK A CHEDI IN CHIANGRAI PROVINCE OF
NORTHERN THAILAND IN 1434 A.D.AND A BUDDHA STATUE MADE OF STUCCO WAS FOUND INSIDE. THE
ABBOT OF THE TEMPLE NOTICED THAT THE STUCCO ON THE NOSE HAD FLAKED OFF AND
THE IMAGE INSIDE WAS A GREEN COLOR. HE THEN REMOVED THE STUCCO COVERING AND
FOUND THE EMERALD BUDDHA WHICH IS IN REALITY MADE OF GREEN JADE.
AT THAT TIME THE TOWN OF CHIANGRAI WAS UNDER THE RULE OF THE KING OF CHIANGMAI, KING
SAMFANGKAEN, AS PEOPLE FLOCKED TO VIEW AND WORSHIP THIS BEAUTIFUL BUDDHA IMAGE.
THE KING THEN DECIDED TO MOVE THE IMAGE TO CHIANGMAI. HE SENT OUT AN ELEPHANT
THREE TIMES TO BRING THE EMERALD BUDDHA TO CHIANGMAI BUT EACH TIME THE ELEPHANT
RAN TO THE CITY OF LAMPANG INSTEAD OF RETURNING TO CHIANGMAI. THE KING THOUGHT
THAT THE SPIRITS GUARDING THE EMERALD BUDDHA WANTED TO STAY IN LAMPANG SO
IT WAS ALLOWED TO REMAIN THERE UNTIL 1468. THEN THE NEW KING, KING TILOKA, HAD
THE EMERALD BUDDHA BROUGHT TO CHIANGMAI. ACCORDING TO CHRONICLES
THE IMAGE WAS INSTALLED IN THE EASTERN NICHE OF A LARGE STUPA AT WAT CHEDI LUANG.
THE KING OF CHIANGMAI IN THE MID 16TH CENTURY HAD NO SONS. HIS DAUGHTER WAS
MARRIED TO THE KING OF LAOS AND BORN ONE SON NAMED PRINCE CHAICHETTHA. AFTER
THE KING DIED IN 1551 THE PRINCE, AT THE AGE OF FIFTEEN, WAS INVITED TO BECOME
THE KING OF CHIANGMAI. HOWEVER WHEN HIS FATHER DIED, THE KING OF LAOS,
KING CHAICHETTHA WANTED TO RETURN TO HIS OWN COUNTRY.IN 1552 HE RETURNED TO
LUANG PRABANG, THEN THE CAPITAL OF LAOS, AND TOOK THE EMERALD BUDDHA WITH HIM.
HE PROMISED THE MINISTERS HE WOULD RETURN TO CHIANGMAI BUT HE NEVER DID NOR DID HE
SEND BACK THE EMERALD BUDDHA. IN 1564 KING CHAICHETTHA WAS CHASED OUT OF
LUANG PRABANG BY THE BURMESE ARMY OF KING BAYINNAUNG AND TOOK THE EMERALD BUDDHA
WITH HIM TO HIS NEW CAPITAL OF VIENTIANE. THE EMERALD BUDDHA REMAINED THERE
FOR 214 YEARS.
WHEN KING RAMA I WAS STILL A GENERAL DURING THE THONBURI PERIOD IN 1778 HE CAPTURED
THE TOWN OF VIENTIANE AND BROUGHT THE EMERALD BUDDHA BACK TO THAILAND.WITH THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF BANGKOK AS THE CAPITAL, BEGINNING THE RATTANAKOSIN PERIOD
AND THE CHAKRI DYNASTY, THE EMERALD BUDDHA BECAME THE PALLADIUM OF THAILAND AND
HAS BEEN HERE EVER SINCE.ON THE 22ND OF MARCH 1784 THE IMAGE WAS MOVED FROM
THONBURI TO THE TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA.
( "TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA" )
THE TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA IS THE MOST SACRED STRUCTURE IN THE KINGDOM
AND THE REPOSITORY OF THE SPIRIT FOR ALL THE THAI PEOPLE. THE HISTORY OF
THE EMERALD BUDDHA ITSELF DATES BACK MORE THAN 600 YEARS AND ALSO REPRESENTS
THE STRUGGLE OF THE THAI PEOPLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR INDEPENDENCE FROM FOREIGN AGGRESSORS.
WHEN KING RAMA I ESTABLISHED BANGKOK, OR RATTANAKOSIN, AS HIS CAPITAL IN 1782 HE ADDED
THE TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA IN THE EASTERN SECTION OF THE ROYAL GRAND PALACE
IN ORDER TO INSTALL THE EMERALD BUDDHA. DURING ITS TWO HUNDRED YEAR HISTORY
THE CHAPEL HAD UNDERGONE SEVERAL RENOVATIONS, RESTORATIONS,AND ADDITIONS.THE ROYAL
CHAPEL THUS INCORPORATES NO LESS THAN TWO CENTURIES OF RATTANAKOSIN CRAFTSMANSHIP
WHICH IS AN EXPRESSION OF THE ESSENTIAL ENTITY OF THE THAI PEOPLE.
A VISIT TO BANGKOK IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT A VISIT TO THIS VERY IMPORTANT TEMPLE. WE WILL
SHOW YOU THE MANY SPECTACULAR BUILDINGS ALONG WITH A HISTORY OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA
ITSELF WHICH WE HOPE WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THAI HISTORY AND ITS PEOPLE.
THE RELATED STORIES LISTED BELOW ARE JUST SOME OF THE MANY SPECTACULAR BUILDING AND
MONUMENTS INSIDE THE GROUNDS OF THE TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA.
REMARK : ALL PRICES INCLUDE 7% VAT
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