Sanam Luang
Sanam Luang ( Thai : สนามหลวง , pronunciation: [ sànăːm lŭaŋ ]) is an open esplanade located in the Phra Nakhon district , the historic city center of Bangkok , the capital of Thailand . It is opposite the old royal palace with Wat Phra Kaeo .
In older usage, it is often referred to as Thung Phra Men (Thai: ทุ่ง พระ เมรุ ), or English as Pramane Ground . This name comes from the past, when the cremation ceremonies took place here when members of the royal family died. King Mongkut (Rama IV.) Changed the name to Thong Sanam Luang (Thai: ท้อง สนามหลวง ) in 1855 , but in everyday language it was shortened to Sanam Luang .
history
.jpg)
The Sanam Luang has existed since the founding of Bangkok by King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) . First of all, magnificent buildings were built here for the cremation ceremonies of the kings and queens as well as the Uparat ("second king"), which were supposed to remind of Mount Meru , the center of the Buddhist worldview. The last cremations that took place here were that of the Queen of King Prajadhipok Rambhai Barni in 1986 and that of Phra Srinagarindra Boromarajachondeni , the mother of King Bhumibol Adulyadej , who was affectionately known by the people as "Mae Fah Luang" in 1997 . In November 2008, Princess Galyani Vadhana , the sister of King Bhumibol, was buried in the same place .
During the reign of King Phra Nangklao (Rama III) , rice was cultivated on the Sanam Luang for demonstrations to opposing neighboring countries.
Since the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV.), A Brahmanic fertility ceremony , the ceremony of the first plowing (Thai พระ ราช พิธี พืช มงคล จรดพระนังคัล แรกนาขวัญ ) has been carried out here, at which the king must be present. The court brahmins try to predict the yield of the rice harvest through the behavior of specially selected bulls.
King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) enlarged the Sanam Luang by tearing down buildings, walls and fortifications that formerly belonged to the Wang Na ( Front Palace ), the palace of Uparat ("Second King"). He also stopped growing rice and surrounded the square with two rows of tamarind trees. The reason was the preparations for the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the founding of Bangkok in 1897, which were to be held on Sanam Luang. The celebrations took place after the king returned from his trip through Europe. At the same time, the king's 50th birthday was celebrated.
In 1934 the first game of the Chula Thammasat football game was played here. It is an annual traditional game between Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University .
Until the late 1970s, the weekend market was held here every weekend . Today this market has its own area in the northeast of the city, it is now called Chatuchak Market .
On October 6, 1976, police and right-wing extremist vigilantes carried out a massacre of protesting students and democracy activists on Sanam Luang and Thammasat University . According to official information, 46 people died. In May 1992 the Sanam Luang was again the scene of mass protests critical of the government, which culminated in the so-called Black May .
Important buildings on Sanam Luang
Today there are numerous historical buildings at Sanam Luang. So z. B. from south clockwise:
- South side
- Grand palace with the Wat Phra Kaeo
- West side
- Silpakorn University , founded in 1933 by the Italian sculptor Corrado Ferroci ( Silpa Bhirasri ); In the area of today's university there were originally three prince palaces, including the Wang Tha Phra .
- Fine Arts Department
- Thawon Watthu Building - designed by Prince Naris on behalf of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), initially for the cremation of Crown Prince Chaofah Maha Wachirunnahit, later "Vajiravudh Library", since 1977 "National Ancient Building". Has housed the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Exhibition since 2010
- Wat Mahathat - one of the oldest temples in Bangkok, it is mentioned before it was founded in 1782
- Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University , Buddhist University in Wat Mahathat
- Thammasat University , part of the former "Front Palace" (Wang Na) of the Uparat (Second King)
- The Bangkok National Museum , another part of the Uparat Palace
- North side
- The National Theater, also on the grounds of the Uparat Palace
- Memorial to the Thai volunteers in World War I
- The National Gallery , built during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) as the Royal Mint, completed in 1902; Reopened in 1977 as the art gallery of the National Museum.
- Erawan statue
- East Side
- The U-Toktan statue of the earth goddess Phra Mae Thorani
- The Ministry of Justice
- The Supreme Court
- The Lak Müang ("city pillar" or "navel of the city"), the symbolic-spiritual center of Bangkok and thus all of Thailand.
Todays use
.jpg)
A popular leisure activity on the Sanam Luang is flying a kite , which is organized by every village in the country during the monsoon season. This tradition has its origin in India, it was already carried out in the Kingdom of Sukhothai. La Loubère, French ambassador to Ayutthaya in 1687 , also tells how kings and “mandarins” tried to outdo one another. The competition takes place between a pair of kites made from bamboo poles and paper, a “male kite” and a “female kite”. The winner is the one who can force the other to land first through skillful flight maneuvers.
On many Buddhist holidays, e.g. B. Wisakha Bucha (Thai: วัน วิสาขบูชา) or Songkran , the copy of the second most important religious symbol of the city after the Jade Buddha in Wat Phra Kaeo, the so-called "Sinhalese Buddha" Phra Phuttha Sihing from the Phutthaisawan Chapel in the national museum, the former “Front Palace” of the next king, shown in procession on the Sanam Luang. In 2011, however, these ceremonies took place in front of the town hall due to the construction work on the Sanam Luang.
The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej used the Sanam Luang every year on March 11th for the plowing ceremony. It is likely that his family members will now take on the representational tasks there. For the king's birthday on December 5th, there is a celebration (Thai: พระ ราช พิธี กา ญ จ นาภิ เษ ก ) to which the citizens of Sanam Luang are invited.
Another ceremony in 1982 was the 200th anniversary of the day when Thong Duan, who was the first king of the Chakkri dynasty and pushed himself to the throne in 1782, raised the centuries-old Bangkok to the new capital. (Thai: พระ ราช พิธี ฉลอง กรุง รัตนโกสินทร์ ครบ 200 ปี ).
The Fine Arts Department (about: Ministry of Culture) included the Sanam Luang in its list of Historical Sites in 1977, which was publicly announced on December 13, 1977 in the Royal Decree (Book 94 Part 126).
The Sanam Luang has been undergoing a thorough renovation since 2010 and has now been fitted with surveillance cameras and a fence. In this way, the aim is to get a grip on the problem of the tramps and illegal sellers, who recently turned the square and adjacent areas into an unattractive and sometimes strongly smelling garbage dump.
The work on the Sanam Luang was carried out exclusively by army construction crews who also blocked off the surrounding pedestrian paths during their work, even at the bus stops, so that pedestrians could sometimes only use public transport at risk. According to official information, the renovation was planned anyway, the royal funeral ceremonies, which generally take place on the Sanam Luang, are nowhere officially mentioned because of the elderly and sick current king.
Parts of the Sanam Luang were completed in January 2012, but only open to citizens during the day.
literature
- HG Quadritch Wales: Siamese State Ceremonies . London 1931, Reprint by Curzon Press, Richmond 1992, ISBN 0-7007-0269-5
Coordinates: 13 ° 45 ′ 18 ″ N , 100 ° 29 ′ 35 ″ E