Being
the King of Thailand at the turn of the 19th century must have
been a fine experience. The entire resources of the realm were
at the disposal of a monarch unconstrained by a republic. At the
same time, the King could avail himself of modern science and
engineering from Europe, the World’s economic powerhouse
of that era and home of his many allies.
One beautiful consequence of having an absolute Thai monarchy
in modern times is still to be seen in the many mansions within
the Suan Dusit palace grounds off the U Thing Nai road, between
Si Ayuthya and Ratwithi roads and across from the western side
of the Dusit zoo in Bangkok. One of these mansions, now named
Vimanmek, was originally the Mantatrattanarojana Palace built
in 1868 on Si Chang Island. HRH Prince Naris disassembled the
palace and reassembled it at the present site. It then became
the royal residence of H.M. King Chulalongkorn, also known as
King Rama V, from 1901 to 1906.
The ‘L’ shaped royal building was commissioned in a
Victorian colonial design and resembles the most enormous of cricket
pavilions. Once conceived the structure reportedly took builders
only nineteen months to complete, a mere month more than it took
to build the architect’s model. What makes it very special
in today’s tourist itineraries of national relics from Monarchies
of yesteryear is that Vimanmek is the largest golden teak wood
building in the world.
Vimanmek
mansion is entirely made from teak wood; even the polished floors
use wooden pegs, instead of nails, to hold the boards in place.
It was originally divided into a number of apartments named after
the colour of their painted wooden walls that were in blue, green,
peach, pink and ivory. According to the tour guides, 72 rooms
make up the building, although other authoritative guidebooks
quote 81. The exact number is hard to determine for the casual
visitor as only 30 or so of them are open to the public at any
one time. Renovation is obviously an endless task for the legions
of workers.
Even
with limited access, the full grandeur of the structure is apparent
with its maze of corridors, spiral and grand staircases and numerous
inter-connecting chambers. In the past, this labyrinth witnessed
hordes of servants, royalty and high-ranking officials gliding
about the royal corridors in hushed silence. Strict rules defined
who could enter which part of the building, use which staircase
and so on, which must have made it an exercise in protocol just
moving from room to room.
The original palace boasted one of Thailand’s first ever
elevators that took royalty from the first to fourth floors. This
was more a status symbol than a technological achievement, as
servants cranked the lift. However, the newly installed mansion
benefited from modern science with electric lighting. This was
not provided from a national grid, Thailand did not then have
electricity generally, but rather from a private generator. If
you look carefully while on a tour of the building you can still
see the Victorian rosebud light switches.
To
keep the building cool, the ceilings are of a substantial height
and join at the top with walls that end in elaborate fretwork
panels allowing air to circulate while also keeping bugs at bay.
The many hundreds of windows required for ventilation are shielded
with three-quarter-length blinds that afford the palace a distinctly
fairytale look. Today the windows and carved screens are covered
by less than aesthetically pleasing glass and perspex so that
the building can be air-conditioned. This is for the comfort of
the throngs of tourists who jostle and crane at the many fine
objects of art displayed in cordoned off rooms and antechambers.
While the items on view are all elegant pieces, most are gifts
of state in glassware, chinaware and porcelain and do little to
colour the picture of the past. More interesting are the photographs
taken by King Rama V some sadly faded by sunlight, but still clear
enough to give insights into what royal life must have been like
during Thailand’s transition into the modern world.
Following the death of King Chulalongkorn in 1910, Vimanmek remained
empty until 1982 when it was reopened as a national attraction.
Today it is remarkably intact and despite the surrounding commercial
atmosphere, it can still afford a glimpse into the true life of
an Asian King. Visitors can take English language tours for about
BHT 50. These tours run throughout the day, but if you make a
visit, as with all royal and religious sites in Thailand, you
must dress respectfully, which means no shorts or sleeveless shirts.
