Royal Grand Palace Bangkok Thailand

Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha

In my first 2 week stay in Thailand Ning and I went into Bangkok so I could see the Royal Grand Palace. This is were Wat Phra Kaeo is. Wat Phra Kaeo houses the Emerald Buddha, the most revered Buddha image in Thailand. The picture here is of that Buddha that is in winter dress. The Emerald Buddha is dressed for the 3 seasons, winter, summer and rainy season. The costume is solid gold. His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama 9 presides over the ceremony to change the costume. The Emerald Buddha is carved from a solid block of green jade. It was first discovered in 1434 and was covered in plaster to make it look like a regular Buddha image. This was to protect it from being stolen by other countries.

The king of Thailand  King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama 9 is revered by his people in the country also. He is the longest serving monarch in the world. King Bhumibol started his rain at the age of 18 after the death of his brother the King at that time. You will find large pictures of the King and the Queen all over Thailand. Also in every thai home and shop you will find pictures of the King and Queen along with Buddha and Different Monks from different times in the history of Thailand. Needless to say Thai people are very passionate about Buddha and their King and his family.

The picture to the right is of the entrance to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Like all the temples in Thailand you must take your shoes off and remove all hats before going in the temple building.. Your dress should be of good taste when visiting any of the temples and government building also. Once in the building you are not aloud to take any photo's. The picture of the Emerald Buddha was taken just outside of the entrance.

The picture to the left is just one of the gardens that are spread though out the Royal Grand Palace. You can see that there is a touch of the Chinese culture with Thailand also.

Today King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama 9 lives in the residence off of the Grand Palace, Chitraladarahotarn Palace in Bangkok. The Grand Palace is used for royal guests and ceremonies.

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