On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Auntie Anne
The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings in Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. The Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year.
The Grand Palace has loads of highly decorated stupas and buildings of religious significance. You can’t even imagine the effect of all the gold leaf in the sun, intricate mirrored tiles set in patterns, ceramic tiles in patterns and mythological creatures and gods all rendered in gold leaf. After a while, your eyes are tired.
Interestingly, some of the ceramic mosaic work came as a result of trade with the Chinese. The kings filled the ships with Chinese porcelain as ballast on the return trip hoe, and they reused the broken pieces in the Grand Palace.
One of the stupas, with a temple in the background
A detail showing carvings in the gold leaf on another stupa
Showing detail of a mirrored tile pattern. The buildings are covered in the mirrored tile mosaics.
Another one of the temples.
Detail of a ceramic mosaic
Cats will be cats, everywhere!
Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat is a blend of Thai traditional architecture and a combination of 19th-century European styles. The whole of the Chakri Maha Prasat group was the work of King Rama V and foreign architects in the 19th century.
Baud
In Thailand, photos of the royal family are everywhere. It’s a little eerie.
scuffletuffle
wow!!!!!!
YY_Sima Qian
Nice! I really enjoyed the Grand Palace when I visited (not the crowd).
Auntie Anne
@YY_Sima Qian: agreed. We went early, but by the time we left, the crowds were awful.
eclare
The detail is incredible. That ceramic mosaic, wow!
MCat
Great photos. What an amazing place. Exquisite. And I love the picture of the cat sleeping on the mosaic. He clearly feels safe there. Thank you!
Dan B
The pictures of the ceramics are amazing! Thanks.