|
Lop Buri Travel Guide :
Phra Narai Ratcha Niwet (King Narai's Palace)
| Lop Buri is a province in central Thailand with its namesake as the provincial capital. The town of Lop Buri is north of Bangkok, some 153 kilometers away. It is considered to be one of the oldest capitals of the Khmers, who ruled in this region from the beginning of the 10th century until the middle of the 13th century; that is until the Thais fought against them and declared their independence. |
However, Lop Buri still has many monuments and construction in the Khmer style of architecture including Hindu Shrine and Phra Kan Shrine. One of the places that you should visit when you go to explore the historical remnants in Lop Buri is Phra Narai Ratcha Niwet, also known as King Narai’s Palace.
King Narai’s Palace is located on Surasak Road and the main entrance of the palace faces the road. However, you can also enter the palace through a side entrance which faces the river. In fact, in most ancient palaces of Thailand, the side entrance has a landing stage as it was quite common for kings to arrive by boats. However, you should start your tour of the magnificent palace from the main entrance.
The courtyard of the palace is divided by walls and the most interesting courtyard is the inner one. The entire courtyard is surrounded by walls which have ramparts on the top. Major part of the palace is from the 17th century, which has been designed and built by King Narai. The more modern part of the palace and its adjoining buildings were built by King Mongkut, who was responsible for demolishing and building many new ones in their place. However, the Chanthara Phisan Pavilion was not demolished by King Mongkut as it was in a good condition and could be restored.
As you enter the courtyard through the main entrance, you will find many interesting structures. To the right and left of the path, there are still traces of building that can be seen but their use is not known. However, it is believed that these building could have been treasure chambers. Behind these building, are water tanks built from bricks. These tanks are fed by springs that flow down a hill from the eastern part of the town. It is reported that Italian and French engineers built a hydraulic system to pump the water to the palace. Just beyond the water tanks is the reception hall, also known as Phra Khlang Supharat, which was used to receive foreign visitors.
|
