Wang Tha Phra
The Wang Tha Phra ( Thai : วัง ท่าพระ - Palace on the Buddha Landing Bridge ) is a former palace in Bangkok , the capital of Thailand . It served as a residence for male members of the Royal Family during the early and middle Rattanakosin Periods . Today the palace grounds are used by the Silpakorn University .
location
The palace grounds are now bordered in the south by Thanon Na Phra Lan (Na-Phra-Lan-Strasse) , in the west by Thanon Mahathat (Mahathat-Strasse) , in the north by the grounds of Wat Mahathat and in the east by Thanon Na Phra That (Na Phra That Street) . The simple main entrance to the university is opposite the northwest entrance to the Grand Palace of Bangkok.
Naming
The Buddha Landing Bridge ("Tha Phra") is now mostly called Tha Chang ("Elephant Landing Bridge") because in the past the royal elephants were bathed there daily in Mae Nam Chao Phraya . The name "Tha Phra" comes from the year 1808, when King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) had a bronze Buddha statue brought from Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai by raft to his new capital, Bangkok. This statue was to become the main statue of the new Wat Suthat temple . When the raft arrived in Bangkok, the city gate on the banks of the Chao Phraya had to be demolished so that the huge statue could be brought ashore and guided on to Wat Suthat, where it is still located today.
history
King Phra Phutthayotfa planned the area between the northern enclosure wall of the Grand Palace and Wat Mahathat for three palaces, which were inhabited as residences by princes and other members of the royal family: the Wang Tha Phra (also Wang Tawan Tok, วัง ตะวันตก - Western Palace), the Wang Klang ( วัง กลาง - Middle Palace) and the Wang Tawan Ok ( วัง ตะวันออก - Eastern Palace).
Construction of the Tha-Phra Palace began as early as 1782. After its completion, it was inhabited by Kromkhun Kasatranuchit ( กรม ขุน กษัตรา นุ ชิต , also: Chaofah Men - เจ้าฟ้า เหม็น ), a nephew of the king. King Phuttaloetla Naphalai (Rama II) transferred the palace to his son, Prince Krommuen Jesadabodin ( กรม หมื่น เจษฎา บดินทร์ ), who was later crowned King Nang Klao (Rama III) . During the reign of his father, Prince Jesadabodin took over part of the affairs of state, using the “Thong Phra Rong” building, which still stands at the entrance to the university, as an audience hall. After his accession to the throne, King Nang Klao made the Grand Palace his residence, and the Tha Phra Palace was transferred to his son, Prince Lakkhananukhun. When he died, another son of the king, Prince Jumsai ( ชุมสาย ), took over Wang Tha Phra.
Prince Jumsai later became head of the Krom Chang Sib Mu ("Ministry of Ten Arts", the royal building ministry) under King Mongkut (Rama IV ). At that time, the palace grounds housed around 200 residents, who created sculptures , wood carvings and paintings for the royal buildings , among other things .
During the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), Prince Krommuen Adulyalaksanasompati ( กรม หมื่น อดุลย ลักษณ สมบัติ ), a son of King Nang Klao, lived in the palace. When he died in 1883 the king transferred the palace to Prince Naris (full name: Narisara Nuvadtivongs - เจ้าฟ้า กรม พระยา นริศ รา นุ วัด ติ วงศ์ ), a son of King Mongkut. The prince was responsible for the renovation and restoration of all palace buildings. Since many of the traditional houses were built of wood, the prince had them demolished and replaced with two new European-style buildings. Only the audience hall “Thong Phra Rong” was preserved. Due to the rapid growth of the capital, the palace area was drastically reduced in size, on the one hand to widen Thanon Na Phra Lan (Na-Phra-Lan Street) and on the other hand to be able to rebuild Thanon Mahathat (Mahathat Street) . This is how Prince Naris shaped the appearance of the palace today.
After Prince Naris' death in 1964, Silpakorn University took over the site.
Impressions from the palace grounds
The Tamnak Phannarai building
The Tamnak Phannarai building
Pavilion in the Suan Kaeo Garden
Detail of the pavilion
literature
- The Architectural Heritage Management for Wang Tha Phra and Wang Thanon Na Phra Lan - Dissertation by Nilwan Nildum (in English)
Web links
Coordinates: 13 ° 45 ′ 10.1 ″ N , 100 ° 29 ′ 23.9 ″ E