King Narai's Palace

Dusit Sawan hall

The King Narai's Palace (Thai: พระนารายณ์ราชนิเวศน์) in Lopburi was built by King Narai the Great, the king who ruled Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688. He ordered to build the palace in 1666 in the same area of King Ramesuan's Palace. King Narai stayed here for about 8-9 months a year, except rainy season. He set Lopburi as the 2nd Capital of Ayutthaya Kingdom thus the palace was the a place for relazation, hunting, administering the country's affairs, and welcoming official visitors. When he died in 1688, Lopburi and the palace were abandoned.

Until King Mongkut (Rama IV) of Rattanakosin ordered the restoration of King Narai's Palace. He built a new throne hall complex (Phiman Monkut Pavilion) for his stay in 1856. And named the palace Phra Narai Rajanivet. In the King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) reign, Phiman Mongkut Pavilion, which had been King Mongkut's accommodations, was given to the government to use as the Lopburi City Hall. On October 11th 1924, Prince Damrong Rajanubhab and Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongs opened the Chantarapisarn Pavilion in King Narai's palace as a museum, calling it the Lopburi Museum. Later, in 1961 the name of the museum was changed to Somdet Phra Narai National Museum. To present, the museum has exhibited more than 1,864 items of the collection of ancient artifacts in different pavilions and buildings of the palace.

Gallery

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  Palace Inner Gate1
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  Chantara Phisan Hall
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  Phra Nak Prok, beside Chantara Phisan Hall
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  Phiman Mongkut Pavilion
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  Phiman Mongkut Pavilion, view from Chantara Phisan Hall
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  Palace Inner Gate2
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  Suthasawan Hall
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  Dusit Sawan Thanya Mahaprasat Hall
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  Inside Dusit Sawan Thanya Mahaprasat Hall
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  The Palace view, from Dusit Sawan Hall
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  Twelve Royal Storage
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  Reception Hall, for Foreign Visitors
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  Water Tank
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  Museum Office

External links

• King Narai's Palace history (Thai)
• King Narai National Museum