Interesting places in Sanam Luang:

ถนนราชดำเนินใน		พระที่นั่งศิวโมกขพิมาน
Thammasat Hall		สวนประติมากรรมประวัติศาสตร์ ธรรมศาสตร์กับการต่อสู้เพื่อประชาธิปไตย
หอประชุมศรีบูรพา

Sanam Luang (Thai: ������) is an open field in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Sanam Luang is located in the Phra Nakhon district, the historic center of Bangkok.

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Bangkok. September 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
Ministry of Justice / Supreme Court Buildings. Rajadamnoen Nai Road, Bangkok. ( Photographs from 1906 show the prison for Minor Crimes (Kong Lahuthot) occupied the space where the Ministry of Justice has been built. ) Click here for the link. October 15, 2007 The Supreme Court Building has stood on Rattanakosin Island for several decades but not many people know the history behind its construction. The government's decision to demolish the building to make way for a new one means the destruction of not only architectural heritage but also the last symbol of the most important stages of Siamese jurisdiction, said Chatri Prakitnonthakarn, lecturer at Silpakorn University's Faculty of Architecture. The Supreme Court Building has great historical value as it is the only remaining building of The Celebration on the Occasion of Thailand Regaining Absolute Jurisdiction in 1938, said Chatri, the author of Politics and Society in Architectural Art. The Association of Siamese Architects this year placed the Ministry of Justice buildings on its list of historical buildings that should be preserved. But the present government recently approved Bt3.764 million for the construction of a new Supreme Court building, which will take four years to complete. According Supreme Court president Panya Thanomrod, the building has been in bad condition for decades and the government has spent nearly Bt1 billion on repairs over the years. However, Chatri wondered if the building's condition was really so bad that it needed to be replaced. It is younger than many other buildings on Rattanakosin Island. Those buildings were built in the reign of King Rama V and are still well preserved today, he said. The architecture lecturer recently organised a public discussion on the topic The Supreme Court Building: The value of architectural art of historical buildings of the Justice Ministry in Rattanakosin. The historical value of the Supreme Court Building is that it is the only remaining structure that was built to commemorate the occasion of Thailand regaining absolute jurisdiction, Chatri said. Siam granted extra-territorial jurisdiction to another country for the first time in 1885, when King Mongkut (Rama IV) and Great Britain's envoy, Sir John Bowring, signed the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce, later commonly referred to as The Bowring Treaty. The treaty allowed the establishment of a British consulate in Bangkok and guaranteed Britain full extra-territorial powers. Following the Bowring Treaty, many other Western countries forced Siam to grant them the same powers. In 1938 the Thai government led by the People's Party (Kana Ratsadon), which had carried out the revolution six years earlier that abruptly ended 150 years of absolute monarchy under the Chakri Dynasty and led Siam into an era of the constitutional monarchy, managed after a struggle to finally regain the country's absolute jurisdiction. The government ordered the construction of the Ministry of Justice buildings as part of the celebrations of the event, and as a symbol of the country's absolute jurisdiction. The first phase of the project was completed in 1941 and the second in 1943, but the last phase - the Supreme Court Building - was delayed for 20 years due to World War II and political changes in Thailand. Construction of the building finally began in 1959 and was completed in 1963. The Supreme Court Building was designed with similar features to other modern architectural styles of the time - primarily the simplification of form and elimination of ornamentation. Many buildings were seen simply as boxes. The government [led by the People's Party] used the simplicity of the modern architecture as a symbol of its political ideology - representing 'ordinary people' and 'equality' in a democratic system, said Chatri. The Supreme Court Building is one of historical symbols of the People's Party, he said. Chatri wondered whether the plan to replace the current Supreme Court Building was another effort to remove symbols of the People's Party from Thailand's political history. The plan was first proposed in 1986, when the building was only 23 years old, and the Cabinet at the time approved a budget of Bt2.2 billion. The idea was discussed again in 1992, soon after a coup d'etat. Supreme Court president Panya said that due to the country's economic situation and other problems, the project had to be suspended for more than a decade. The construction plan and the budget for the new building was approved in December last year as part of The Cele-brations of the Auspicious Occa-sion of His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary 5th December 2007. A schematic drawing of the new building shows a modern architectural style with Thai ornamentation on top. Ironically, the approval of the construction of the new Supreme Court Building violates the Office of the Prime Minister's regulation on the conservation and development of Rattanakosin City and old towns. The entire Rattanakosin Island has been declared a conservation area that does not allow any new construction. Chatri said the Rattanakosin Island committee would be accused of double standards if it allowed construction of a new Supreme Court building. Back in 2002 the committee also allowed the three-storey House of the Privy Councillors to be built in Wang Saranrom Royal Park, which is within the Rattanakosin Island conservation area, he said. Subhatra Bhumiprabhas


Bangkok. September 2008
Made by adaptorplug
Sanam Luang, Bangkok. 4th September 2008. The pro government counter protestors returned to their homes and left behind remnants of their stage and educational materials. This is a poster of their main hero, the ex prime minister Thaksin Shinwatra, who was deposed in a peaceful and unopposed military coup in 2006. The pro government supporters seem to quite like ex Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who ran to England to save facing corruption charges in Thailand. And also to save his convicted wife Khunying Potjaman from serving her three year jail sentence. In his absence he has been sentenced to two years in prison. Thaksin is depicted in the above as flying like Superman through Democracy Monument. Ironic really. This monument was built by fascist sympathisers to celebrate the overthrow of the (then absolute) monarchy and the place had sod all to do with democracy. However, I think this lot are using the imagery to draw upon the benefits of elected governments and that Thaksin is their defender of democracy. AND let's not forget... what Thaksin had to say.... .......................................................... The Nation 2003-12-11. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday revealed for the first time the value he places on democracy, saying it was not the foremost thing Thailand needed. In a candid statement made ominous by its release on Constitution Day, Thaksin said that as long as the country could progress and the people were happy, he was not concerned about the means used. Democracy is a good and beautiful thing, but it's not the ultimate goal as far as administering the country is concerned, he said. Democracy is just a tool, not our goal. The goal is to give people a good lifestyle, happiness and national progress. In a comment to counter calls for constitutional amendments that would support the spluttering checks-and-balances mechanism, the prime minister hinted that he would block the campaign to amend the charter, an issue that could cause a fall-out between him and his Chat Thai Party allies. Democracy is a vehicle, Thaksin said. We can't drive a Rolls-Royce to a rural village and solve people's problems. A pickup truck or good off-road car will do. We just need to think carefully and make the right choices. Amid threats of total domination by the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party, the minor coalition partner, academics and opposition MPs agree there is an urgent need to sharpen the teeth of independent constitutional bodies and empower a parliamentary system of checks and balances. I don't think there's a need to amend the charter right now, said Thaksin. Maybe they want to because they want to censure me in Parliament. Many rules within the Constitution are said to be playing into the hands of Thaksin as they seem to ease his on-going consolidation of power and expansionist philosophy. Among them is the requirement that a censure motion against the prime minister has to be signed by at least 200 MPs. Before leaving for the Asean-Japan summit in Tokyo, Thaksin avoided actually naming the Chat Thai Party, which has proposed a public referendum to amend the Constitution coinciding with the 2005 general election. If they really want to do it for good reasons, why didn't they do it earlier when they had enough support in Parliament? Thaksin said. There's no real need to change the highest law at the moment. If we do have implementation problems, we can review the Constitution's organic laws. The Chat Thai Party has set up a working group to review the Constitution. But the study could take a long time, its leader Banharn Silapa-archa confirmed yesterday, at the risk of upsetting his powerful ally. We are reviewing both the charter and organic laws, as we think that it's time to amend the Constitution, said Banharn. But I can't say whether we can finish in time for the next election. Chat Thai leaders have said the charter has failed to produce an adequate system of checks and balances in the political system, as a single party dominates Parliament and many independent constitutional bodies. Once lauded as one of the best constitutions the country has had, the 1997 charter is seen by a growing number of critics as having failed to cope with the realities of Thai politics in the era of Thaksin's political and business empire. Chat Thai wants all political parties represented when selecting members of key independent bodies, which have been under growing influence of Thai Rak Thai. Snoh Thienthong, leader of the Wang Nam Yen faction of Thai Rak Thai, also alluded to support for constitutional amendment and suggested Thaksin was the reason to review the charter. The prime minister's thoughts run faster than the Constitution, so it might be necessary to change the law to keep up with him. He's a commander who moves faster than his army, Snoh said. Former Constitution Drafting Assembly members who wrote the existing charter have backed calls for amendment to bolster the checks-and-balances mechanism before it falls apart. When we made it a rule that the censure motion must be submitted by at least 200 MPs, we never envisaged any party would one day have the staggering influence of 400 MPs in Parliament, said Decho Sawananont, one of the charter-drafters. This hampers the opposition's work and the future looks bleak. ..........................................................................................................................


Grand Palace, Bangkok
Made by y'O'gs
Spectacular Grand Palace is undoubtedly the city's most famous landmark. Built in 1782 - and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government - the Grand Palace of Bangkok is a grand old dame indeed, that continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people. Within its walls were also the Thai war ministry, state departments, and even the mint. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom. Within the palace complex are several impressive buildings including Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), which contains the small, very famous and greatly revered Emerald Buddha that dates back to the 14th century. The robes on the Buddha are changed with the seasons by HM The King of Thailand, and forms an important ritual in the Buddhist calendar. Thai Kings stopped living in the palace around the turn of the twentieth century, but the palace complex is still used to mark all kinds of other ceremonial and auspicious happenings.


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. 15th November 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
The Royal Cremation of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, Sanam Luang – the Royal Cremation Ground. Dawn comes up, and the first chants from the ceremony in the Grand Palace come over the loud speakers, waking the majority of the crowd. An hour and one half later at 8.00am the artillery kicked in, firing one shot every minute for the next four hours plus... after which we went home. Some of these ladies had been camped out since 11.00pm the previous day. I got there at 2.30am, with a back pack full of Red Bull, and it was already four deep. Unlike a western crowd watching a funeral procession, the Thai approach seemed more to be that of being involved in the funeral itself. Rather than standing and rushing to the barriers when the activities started the people in this section remained seated / kneeling as the procession went past, wai'ing and praying as various Royals (Crown Prince / Crown Princess) marched past. It felt that you were attending the ceremonies rather than watching them. The full set sits here:


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. 20th November 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
Phra Meru, The Royal Crematorium. Sanam Luang. ...the day they let us plebs in to have a look around. Here's a precis of a Bangkok Post article. 15/11/2008... The Thai word for the death of a monarch is sawannakhot - return to heaven. The deceased royal goes back to the Dawadungsa level of heaven above Mount Meru where they lived before they entered the mortal world. Thai tradition is that an elaborate funeral pyre called Phra Merumas is built for the Royal Cremation, a representation of Mount Meru. It consists of a high palace set in the middle of an elevated platform. The Phra Merumas is a temporary structure. After the cremation it is demolished. Royal cremations have been held at the Phra Mane Ground (Sanam Luang) since the beginning of the Rattanakosin Period (i.e. the 1790s when Bangkok became capital with the Chakri Dynasty of Kings). HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana’s (King Rama IX's sister) Phra Meru was designed by Arvuth Ngoenchuklin. This photograph sits in a set:


Wat Phra Kaew - ( Temple of Emerald Buddha )
Made by y'O'gs
Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (officially known as Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram) is regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. Located in the historic centre of Bangkok, within the grounds of the Grand Palace, it enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha), the highly revered Buddha image meticulously carved from a single block of jade. The Emerald Buddha (Phra Putta Maha Mani Ratana Patimakorn) is a Buddha image in the meditating position in the style of the Lanna school of the north, dating from the 15th century AD. Raised high on a series of platforms, no one is allowed near the Buddha except HM the King. A seasonal cloak, changed three times a year to correspond to the summer, winter, and rainy season covers the statue. A very important ritual, the changing of the robes is performed only by the King to bring good fortune to the country during each season. The temple is beautifully decorated and has a great sense of peace about it.


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. 19th November 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
Phra Meru, The Royal Crematorium. Sanam Luang. ...at the crack of dawn. Here's a precis of the Bangkok Post 15/11/2008... The Thai word for the death of a monarch is sawannakhot - return to heaven. The deceased royal goes back to the Dawadungsa level of heaven above Mount Meru where they lived before they entered the mortal world. Thai tradition is that an elaborate funeral pyre called Phra Merumas is built for the Royal Cremation, a representation of Mount Meru. It consists of a high palace set in the middle of an elevated platform. The Phra Merumas is a temporary structure. After the cremation it is demolished. Royal cremations have been held at the Phra Mane Ground (Sanam Luang) since the beginning of the Rattanakosin Period (i.e. the 1790s when Bangkok became capital with the Chakri Dynasty of Kings). HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana’s (King Rama IX's sister) Phra Meru was designed by Arvuth Ngoenchuklin. This photograph sits in a set:


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. 15th November 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
The Royal Cremation Procession of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, Sanam Luang – the Royal Cremation Ground. As a sign of respect the crowd, many of whom had camped out in the open all night long, kneel / sit as the Chariots pass by, and as the Crown Prince and Princess slow march past. Unless you were an official photographer you were not allowed to raise cameras up, and this was supervised by the police. On reflection this meant that the event was far more reverent than a western you have to get it on film photofest that all too often happens these days. The full set sits here:


Anointing
Made by katclay
One of my favourite photos from the Bangkok trip, I think it really captures a sense of pause before worship. In the temple those who enter anoint themselves with water from lotus blooms. I took several photos before taking this one, having to weave between tourists and worshippers alike. I love the way the water drips onto his head like sweat. You can check out my photography and writing blog here: www.katclay.com


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. October 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana's Royal Crematorium on Sanam Luang. Construction workers and artists from the Fine Arts Department have spent nearly eight months constructing this steel framed and wooden clad funeral pyre. The day after the cremation ceremonies are over the whole thing gets dismantled. Wood from the last major royal funeral temple, for the King's Mother, was re-used and integrated into Wat Patumwanaram. This picture sits in a set -


Sanam Luang, Bangkok
Made by Michael LaPalme
A Chula kite prepares to do battle at Sanam Luang, the large ceremonial field in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. This field has been used for royal ceremonies and the cremation of kings since the reign of King Rama I (1737 – 1802). Originally known as Thung Phra Mane (ทุ่งพระเมรุ the royal cremation ground) it was renamed Sanam Luang by King Rama iV in 1855.


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. October 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana's Royal Crematorium on Sanam Luang. A main aspect of the crematorium is that it has seven levels of Sawettachattra / umbrellas used to protect the only highest levels of Thai royalty. The seven tiers on the umbrella signify the Buddhist elements of enlightenment: 1. Awareness, 2. Wisdom, 3. Effort, 4. Delight, 5. Tranquility, 6. Concentration, 7. Neutral thinking. This picture sits in a set -


holiday mode
Made by cteteris
Went on a pre-holiday holiday for the weekend. Just up to bkk to eat and shop. Mostly just ate. Except this man ^ decided that we should eat raw oysters, and now I'm sick at home with a particularly nasty form of food poisoning. FYI: no matter how good of an idea it seems to eat raw oysters on the street at yaowarat... it's not. ever. lesson learned. Hopefully this thing passes so I'll be ready for my REAL holiday next week!


gm_01635 Street Ditch Digger's Grin, Bangkok 1985
Made by CanadaGood
Street ditch diggers in Bangkok Thailand 1985. Over the years, I have often thought of this man. These guys were digging the black sludge out of roadside ditches on an extremely hot tropical afternoon. The guy in the hole was covered in muck and standing waist deep in sludge. He stopped and gave me just the biggest grin. How could someone doing this job be so happy? I have thought of this many many times over the years.


Thammasat University, Bangkok. September 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
Thammasat University, Bangkok. Remembering the events around 6th October 1976, in the Sculpture Garden. A plaque reads The massacre of non-violent protesters in Thammasat University during which the conservatives set up a situation to sabotage the progrssive political movements. This resulting in more than 3,000 college students taking refuge in the jungles throughout the country, joining the Communist Party of Thailand.


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. September 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
Preparing for the Royal funeral ceremony of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Narathiwat, on Sanam Luang - the Royal Field. The royal crematorium structure. This picture sits in a set - This Image is in a Collection: The Royal / People's Avenue. Rajadamnoen Avenue. Bangkok.


DCP_8835
Made by macg5555
Para que las Cometas sigan volando en Tailandia. Para que Tailandia siga siendo el paraíso que es, tanto en su faceta humana como en su belleza paisajista y que superen estos tiempos difíciles. For the Comets continue to fly in Thailand. To that Thailand remains the paradise that is, in his human side as its beautiful landscapes and overcome these difficult times.


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. 15th November 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
The Royal Cremation Procession of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, Sanam Luang – the Royal Cremation Ground. Bangkok, Thailand. The Joint Commanders of the Military Guards of Honour marching as the Royal Vanguard along Ratchadamnoen Nai (The Royal Avenue). I'd be up for the yellownjacket. Or the pink. Well fab. The full set sits here:


Bangkok Street Portraits 6 - Smile for a Boy
Made by Collin Key (back)
... the boy was my son ;) In fact i had seen this stylish girl before but did not dare to blantly point my camera at her. Surprisingly she approached us asking if she and her friends could shoot a picture together with my youngest son... it must have been his style matching theirs pretty well. Of course, i took my chance, too, then.


Sanam Luang. Bangkok. 15th November 2008.
Made by adaptorplug
The Royal Cremation Procession of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, Sanam Luang – the Royal Cremation Ground. Leading the funeral procession, two cavalry policemen. With a artillery rounds blasting out every minute for well over three hours it was not easy controlling these two fine horses. The full set sits here: