Phra Narai Ratchaniwet

Lonely Planet review

Start your tour of Lopburi at Phra Narai Ratchaniwet, a former royal palace, which is a combination of palace ruins and artefact galleries. During the reign of Ayuthaya's King Narai, Lopburi was used as a second capital. The king chose this site for his palace, which took 12 years to build between 1665 and 1677. At the time, the Ayuthaya kingdom hosted many Western envoys, and French architects contributed to the design.

Interestingly, Khmer architectural influence was still strong in central Thailand so the palace exhibits an unusual blend of Khmer and European styles. Upon the king's death in 1688, the palace was used only by King Phetracha (King Narai's successor) for his coronation ceremony and was then abandoned until King Mongkut (Rama IV of Bangkok's Chakri dynasty) ordered restoration in the mid-19th century. The main gate into the palace, Pratu Phayakkha, is off Th Sorasak. The grounds are well kept, planted with trees and shrubbery, and serve as a kind of town park for local children and young lovers. Immediately on the left as you enter are the remains of former storage buildings and the palace reservoir. In the quadrangle to the left is the royal reception hall, often used for foreign dignitaries, and the Phra Chao Hao, which most likely served as a wíhaan for a valued Buddha image. Continuing to the southwest quadrangle of the complex are the ruins of the elephant stables and the Suttha Sawan pavilion, a former royal residence. In the northwest quadrangle are buildings that were used during the king's reign as audience halls and residential quarters for the king's harem, but today have been renovated and house the Lopburi Museum (or more officially known as Somdet Phra Narai National Museum). The museum's collection is divided into three separate buildings. The most important building is the Phiman Mongkut Pavilion, which contains a fine collection of Lopburi-period sculpture as well as a variety of Khmer, Dvaravati, U Thong and Ayuthaya art. The Chantara Phisan Pavilion is a memorial to King Narai and ecclesiastical artefacts. The Phra Pratiab Building has a few minor displays of traditional tools (hand looms, and fishing and farming equipment) and shadow play carvings.