The National Museum Bangkok

Friday, April 25, 2008 – 9:07 pm

The National Museum of Thailand was the best place to escape the overflowing streets of Bangkok on a Sunday. Its innumerable galleries, some of them quite modern and air-conditioned present the history, culture and arts of Thailand with its oriental elegance. Photography was strictly prohibited inside all galleries, so i would only snap the different buildings, pavilions and objects strewn around its premises.

Thai History gallery, one of the main galleries equipped with automated audio guides in different languages.

The ornate layered roof of the History gallery.

Standing in the centre of the Museum grounds, was the Buddhaisawan chapel.

Sala Longsang Pavilion, moved and restored from the Palace of King Rama VI.

Buddhaisawan Chapel

Statue of Phra Ram (Thai version of Lord Rama from Ramayana) ready with a bow and arrow.

Mythical giants guarding the entrance to Buddhaisawan Chapel.

The glittering golden doors of Buddhaisawan Chapel.

Close view of the intricate decorations in the door frame of Buddhaisawan chapel.

The Museum houses galleries for Thai history, Stone inscriptions, Ayutthaya art, Sukhothai art, Wooden carvings, Sculptures, Costume, Ceramics, Ivory, Precious objects, Mother of Pearl inlays, Musical instruments, Weapons, Transportation, Buddhist, Coins and Banknotes and many more…

Strikingly notable was a large glass enclosure containing quite well-preserved and gigantic royal chariots. Strangely all are funeral chariots used for the cremation of various Kings. In the gallery of Precious objects, one can have no doubts about the preciousness of its occupants. Encased in a large cage with thick iron grills which are so dense, that one got to peer into them like looking at inmates of a high-security jail. There are no more the sort of golden, gold-plated and gold lacquered; here its all real and solid GOLD!

Once, i got almost lost in a isolated corner of the museum and landed at the Chinese spirit house surrounded by weird-looking mythical statues.

And this one could be mistaken for a lost puppy ?!

Somebody dropped the anchor in the wrong place

A small chariot waiting for its right place in the corridors of Museum.

In my life, i had seen so many forms of the popular Hindu-god, Ganesha but nothing prepared me for this horrific statue decorated liberally with human skulls. It led me to threw all rules to wind and i pulled out my camera to record this awful depiction.