Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall of Dusit Palace

After visiting Wat Arun, I took an express boat up the river to Thewet pier to visit the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall of Dusit Palace in the Dusit district of Bangkok. Pics of the pier and views of the river below.

It’s about a 20 minute walk to the Hall, a little bit of a hike, but I like the exercise and I like to walk through the streets like a local. However, you can take a tuk-tuk if you wish. As you can see from the pic below, which is a shot facing the entrance/exit of the pier, tuk-tuks are waiting to whisk you away.

Tuk-tuks are three-wheeled contraptions that act like taxis though you got to negotiate with them, beforehand! Some are disgusting smog spewing machines and others are decorated like pimp mobiles. During my time there, I didn’t ride one. Didn’t want to be bothered negotiating with them. I read it’s sometimes more of a headache than it’s worth.

It was a hot day and I started getting a little tired by now. I had already visited The Grand Palace and Wat Arun. This would be the last temple or museum for the day I decided. A lot of walking. On my walk to the Hall, I passed a 7-11 and bought a much appreciated Slurpee. Now I was in my realm.

The Hall is near a huge intersection and a large road leading to the Hall. Police were doing motorcycle driving exercises through cones (see the pics below). You can see the large, white Hall/Palace building in the background.

The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall is a former reception hall within Dusit Palace. It’s now a museum and is from time to time employed for certain state occasions. The building is an Italian Renaissance and Neo Classic style. Marble from Italy and other foreign materials were used. The Throne Hall is two stories with a large dome in the center surrounded by six smaller domes. The domes and walls are covered with paintings depicting the history of the Chakkri Dynasty, from the first to the sixth reign. The building was completed in 1915. The Hall is a national treasure and serves as a venue for the Kingdom’s Royal and governmental pageantry.

You could not take photos inside. Admission was free with my Grand Palace admission ticket. Again, the building was very clean and manicured. Inside were a lot of paintings, wood carvings, thrones, models, weavings, & embroideries. I was most interested in the large banquet table. That was pretty cool. There also was a museum shop inside. They provided you with a little walk-man thing that was in English (and other languages) that described the artifacts in detail.

Afterwards, I headed back to the pier and down the river to walk around a market for a little bit and get a drink…