Bangkok National Museum
The Bangkok National Museum is dedicated to
preserving the national cultural heritage through collections of art,
archaeological and cultural objects in the Palace of Wang Na compound
near the Grand Palace. The Gallery of Thai History is located in the
Sivamokhaphiman Hall, with the Prehistory Galley at the rear of the
building. The History of Art collection is displayed in the South and
North Wings and the Minor arts, Royal Cremation Chariots and Ceremonial
Objects are exhibited nearby in other buildings within the palace
compound.
The visit starts with a useful introduction to Thai
history. Note the black-stone inscription form Sukhothai, the
oldest-known record of the Thai alphabet. Two large modern buildings
house the main collection of pre-Thailand Thai sculpture, as well as
pieces from elsewhere in Asia. An important exhibit in the southern wing
is one of the earliest images of the Buddha from Gandhara in India,
clearly influenced by classical Greek sculpture. A garage in a nearby
building houses the collection of magnificent royal funeral chariots.
Vajayant Rajarot is still used even though it needs 300 men to pull it.
Free
English-language tours of the museum are given by National Museum
volunteers on Wednesdays (Buddhism) and Thursdays (Thai arts, religion
and culture), starting from 9:30am. These guided tours are excellent and
many people have written to recommend them.The tours are also conducted
in German Thursdays, French and Japanese Wednesday.
National Museum Bangkok
Na Phra That Road
10200 Bangkok
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+66 (0)2 224 13 70 |
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+66 (0)2 224 99 11 |
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www.thailandmuseum.com |
