King Rama IV took Buddhist recluse at Tham
Khao Yoi several times and stayed overnights at Wat Maha Samanaram at the foot
of Khao Wang. After he took the throne, he had the first new palace built in
Phetchaburi in 1859, on the top of Khao Khiri or Khao Maha Nakhon Khiri Palace”.
The hill was renamed “Khao Mahasawan” the great paradise but has been commonly
called Khao Wang by the locals.
Khao Wang is a range of low hills with 3 big peaks, the
highest is 95 metres. When the king Rama IV had the palace
built on the western peak, he also had a new white stupa
built to shelter the old chedi on the middle peak. The new
chedi enshrining the relic was called Phra That Chomphet. He
also bilt Wat Kaeo to the New palace’s temple on the eastern
peak. The stucco pattern on the chapel’s gable was the Royal
Crown, the emblem of King Rama IV. Behind the chapel, there
is a marble stupa in greenish gray colour 4/12 wah tall,
foundation 6 cubits wide. Its unique construction is being
sculptured at Ko Sichang and brought to be erected here.
The buildings on Khao Wang were constructed in western style which had just come
in fashion for the court at the time and also in Chinese style which had been
fashionable since King Rama III. The palace is admirably unique monument of that
period.
The two-storeyed building in Chinese style is believed to have been the Queen’s
living quarters.The upper level consists of a hall, royal bed chamber and dressing room.
It is presently used as the exhibition building of the Phra Nakhon Khiri
National Museam, displaying the two king’s royal utensils while staying at this
summer residence.
Built following the old precept that a prasat must be included in every big
palce, this prasat was built to enshrine the status of King Rama IV. His Royal
Highness Krom Phraya Naritsara-nuwattiwong judged that it was the work of Luang
Theprochana the famous royal sculptor of that time.
The two-storeyed tower in cylinder shape with a glass dome was used s the
observatory due to King Rama IV’s interest in astronomy. The locals then
preferred to call it Krachom Kaeo because the light through the glass dome well
served as the landmark to guide fishermen safely dialing in Ao Ban Laem.
This is a big group of buildings that were used to receive foreign visitors.
Royal artistic performances were viewed from the palace’s extended front
balcony.
Visitors can reach the top of Khao Wang by cable car and on foot. Walking up
takes about 1 hour along the pleasant walkway under the shady frangipani.
King Rama IV had it built at Ban Puen village by the river of Phetchaburi in
1910, the very last year of his reign, to be his retreat in the rainy season. It
was a model of the summer palace of Keiser Whilhelm of Germany. Mr. Carl
Dohring, the German architect who had designed Bang Khun Phrom Palace, was
assigned to supervise the construction which was in Jugendstil style, a mixture
between the Baroque and Art Nouveau.
The palace was completed in 1981 in the reign of King Rama VI who named it Phra
Ram Ratchniwet. It was later used as the lodging for foreign visiting
dignitaries. The palace is just a big 2-storeyed building with a high roof in a
dome shape called Sanphet Prasat. A garden and fountain pond is surrounded by
the mansion compound. The interior design focused on grandness and luxury. The
dinning room’s walls had ceramics finish. The yellow tiles embossed with
pictures of animals and plants, were framed with smaller green ceramic tiles.
The door’s opening was decorated with wrought iron in Art Nouveau style. The
columns in the bed rooms were faced with shiny gold coloured embossed metal
sheets.
King Rama V, or King Mongkutklao had it designed by and Italian architect and
built at the beach in Tambon Haui Sai Nuea, Amphoe Cha-am, to be his summer
palace. The area was then abundant with wildlife especially deer, thus resulting
in such a name of this palace which means “Deer Garden”. The palace consists of
3 important buildings.
Samoson Sewakamat hall
The 2-storeed wooden rectangular hall was used for holding meetings, social
functions and performances. The ground floor is a broad hall and the top floor
is all encircled by a veranda.
Presently, the National Police Bureau has graciously received the royal
permission to use part of the palace’s area to be its Border Patrol Police
Traning Center. Visitors can visit the palace through the entrance of Phra Rama
VI Military Camp on Phet Kasem Road about 20 kilometers before Hua Hin
Samut Phiman Hall
This was
the living department of Queen Indrasaksachi and the quarters of the inner
court. There are stairways going down to the beach and the sea-front pavilions
running parallel with part of Samut Phiman Hall.
Phisan Sakhon Hall
This living quarters of the king consists of a bathroom, royal bed chamber and
study room. The front of the building has a long walkway towards the beach and a
pavilion for bathing suit changing.
Thai people receive the idea of taking vacations from the western people.
Seaside is a very popular spot for vacation as it is broad, airy and cool by the
sea breeze. The first vacations town for Thai people was Chon Buri which is not
far away from Bangkok. During the reign of King Rama V a convalescent home was
built at Ang Sila. King Rama V himself also had the “Chuthathut Palace” built in
Ko Sichang but the construction was suspended due to the land dispute between
Thailand and France. Later, after the Southern Railway made its service to
Cha-am and Hua Hin, the royalty and dignitaries came down to reserve plots of
land for building their vacation homes, first in Hua Hin and later Cha-am.
