Bangkok Royal Barge Museum
Posted by Sukhumwit Steve on August 19th, 2011 filed in SightseeingThe Thai Royal Barge Museum is on the opposite side of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River from the Grand Palace. It contains eight of the magnificently ornate vessels that are used in the occasional royal processions on the waterway. Before 1932, the barges were used regularly by the Thai royal family for the annual Katin merit making ceremony which saw a procession of them travel one kilometre down the river to Arun Temple.
The boats were badly damaged during WWII. The ones contained within the museum have been lovingly restored by master artisans. The centrepiece of the collection is the Suppanahong (Golden Swan), named for its wonderful swan figurehead, which was originally launched in the reign of King Rama I in the latter part of the 18th century.
The barges were all carved from gigantic teak tree trunks and have ornate prows. As well as the swan, other vessels feature figureheads such as of the monkey god Hanuman and a seven-headed serpent. The prows and canopies have been gilded in gold and have shimmering fragments of glass on them. Most of the barges in the museum require 50 trained rowers to propel them.
Bangkok’s Royal Barge Museum opens daily from 09:00 to 17:00. The most convenient way of reaching it is by taking a Chao Phraya Express boat service to the jetty at either Wang Lang or Phra Pin Klao Bridge.