Insight: The National Museum

Bangkok’s National Museum, one of the largest in Southeast Asia, is a good place to learn more about Thailand’s history and culture.

The National Museum’s three main galleries are spread over a handful of old and new buildings. Thai history from the Sukhothai period (13th–14th centuries) to the Rattanakosin period (1782–the present) is covered in the Sivamokhaphiman Hall, while behind the hall, the Prehistoric Gallery has 5,000 year-old exhibits from the Ban Chiang archaeological site in the northeast. The south wing exhibits Buddha images and artefacts from the Srivijaya and Lopburi periods, while the north wing displays exhibits from the Lanna, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods. The rooms in the Wang Na, or Front Palace, display fine art masterpieces, mostly from the Rattanakosin period, with treasures in the form of gold, carvings, enamelware, musical instruments, ceramics, clothes, weapons and palanquins.

In front of the old palace is the Buddhaisawan Chapel, once the private chapel of the Prince Successor and a good example of Rattanakosin architecture. Today, it houses the second holiest image in Thailand, Phra Buddha Sihing, a Sukhothai-style Buddha image. Beautiful murals cover the wall of this chapel.

The Essentials

Address: Thanon Na Phra That, www.finearts.go.th/museumbangkok

Tel: 0-2224 1333

Opening Hrs: Wed–Sun 9am–4pm

Entrance Fee: charge (guided tours at 9.30am Wed and Thur)

Transport: Phra Athit pier

The murals in the Buddhaisawan Chapel surround the Phra Buddha Sihing, Thailand’s second most sacred Buddha image.

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The First Thai Museum

King Chulalongkorn, or Rama V established the country’s first public museum in 1874 in the Grand Palace. The collections were based on those of his father, King Mongkut (Rama IV). In 1926 the museum was moved to what was the Wang Na (Front Palace), the abode of the second-in-line to the throne, called the “second king” or the Prince Successor. This vast palace, dating from 1782, once extended across Khlong Lot up to the Grand Palace and included a large park. When his heir-apparent attempted a violent overthrow, Chulalongkorn abolished the office in 1887 and tore down most of the buildings. The Wang Na is one of the remnants of the original palace and today it houses a variety of artefacts in Rooms 4–15. Room 6 contains a beautifully carved howdah, or elephant seat, made of ivory.

Chulalongkorn’s statue can be found in the Issaretrachanusorn Hall, which also exhibits the beds of Phra Pin Klao, the thrones of King Chulalongkorn and King Vajiravudh, and intricate Chinese and European-style furniture.