Lop Buri is located north of Ayutthaya
and its tourist relevance today are the Khmer ruins of the 13th century and
the buildings of King Narai 's reign. Lop Buri was a major town during
the Mon Dvaravati Kingdom [ 6th to 11th centuries ] and was a provincial capital
of the Khmer Empire in Thailand.
The major Khmer monuments are the three spire laterite shrine named Phra
Prang Sam Yod and Wat Mahatat.
Lop Buri was originally a Mon city
until conquered by the Khmers in the 11th century as evidenced by Khmer
inscriptions.
Wat Sam Yod is made of laterite with stucco decorations and
comprises three prasats in the Bayon style, based on cross shaped bases
connected by ante rooms and vaulted passageways. The central Prasat is
dedicated to Buddha seated on the serpent, '' Mucalinda '' . The presence of
a linga suggests to some that the shrine was originally Hindu.
Lop Buri did not suffer destruction as did Ayutthaya and the imprint of
the Tai has still survived. Of particular importance are the grounds
of the Lop Buri Palace enclosed by massive walls still standing in the
center of the modern town. Dusit Maha Prasat Hall [ 1685 ] is the
substantial survivor of King Narai's buildings. Chantra Paisan Pavilion
in the palace grounds is another important surviving building. It is
now part of the Lop Buri Fine Arts Museum.Also now part of the Museum is the Phiman Mongkut built by King Mongkut
in the 19th century. This mansion now contains some fine examples of
Ayutthaya art style bronze and porcelain.
For those with a sense of history, just
north of King Narai 's palace lie the ruins of the grand palace of Phaulkon,
the Greek adviser to King Narai who controlled Siam's relations with
the Europeans and who tried to convert the monarchy to Catholicism,
ultimately giving cause for his execution on King Narai's demise and
the 1688 Revolution.
King Narai constructed his palace at Lop buri in the late 17th Century.
In Thai it is called '' Phra Narai Ratchanivet ''. This is well worth a
visit for its historical and architectural significance. Some of the
throne halls within this compound are now galleries of the Somdet Phra
Narai National Museum displaying cultural relics and artifacts from the
Prehistoric period until the present.
Narai's
Palace contains 24 architectural features to see. These are, the
fortification walls, the 4 forts at each corner of the fortified walls,
the 8 gates [ as depicted in the images here ], the Royal Elephant
Stable, the Reception Hall for foreign envoys, the Twelve Halls for
Treasures, Chanthara Phisan Hall, Phiman Mongkut Hall, Phra Thinang
Visuthivinitchai, Phra Thinang Chaiyasatrakorn, Dusit Thanya Mahaprasat
Hall, Suthassawan Hall, Phrao Chao Hao Hall, the water tank, Thim
Buildings and Pra Pretiep Buildings.
The
Palace now comprises architecture from two periods in Thai history, the
original 17th Century works of King Narai and the 19th Century
additions constructed on the initiative of King Mongkut who arranged
for the restoration of the Palace.
The original Palace was
built in 1666. King Narai built it 100 kilometers north of Ayutthaya as
a protection buffer when the Dutch were threatening Ayutthaya. It is
constructed on the east side of the Lopburi River on a mound which
offers views of any ships coming north up the River and where for 6
months of each year the surrounding fields turned into lakes in the
rainy season each year.
Dusit Maha Prasat Hall at King Narai's Palace Lopburi
The
Palace compound is square and covers approximately 7 hectares of land.
The Palace fronts the town of Lop buri to its east and to the back is
the Lop buri River. The compound is surrounded by fortified walls five
meters high made of brick and covered with stucco. Along the
top of the walls are mounted crenelations. Triangular shaped forts are
at each corner of the walls as well as at the center gates. These have
circular openings through which canons once were mounted.
The
Palace compound is divided into three parts , the inner court yard, the
central courtyard and the outer court yard. The court yards are
connected by some eleven gate ways with doors all in the same style.
These gates are ogival shaped and topped with a roof with moldings in
the style of lotus flowers to decorate the facade. This was the style
of the time in the late 17 th century.
As depicted in the
picture below, the walls and doors facing inside the central and inner
court yards have many small concave nichesin ogival shape. There are
more than 2000 such niches. These were used to place in each small
lamps to illuminate the Palace.
