Bangkok National Museum

National Museum, Bangkok
พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ พระนคร
Map
Established19 September 1874 (1874-09-19)
LocationPhra Nakhon, Bangkok
Key holdingsThai history
DirectorNitaya Kanokmongkol
Websitefinearts.go.th/museumbangkok/
Bangkok National Museum
The 8th century bronze torso statue Avalokiteshvara of Chaiya, depicting Boddhisattva Padmapani, Srivijayan art, Chaiya, Surat Thani, Southern Thailand, demonstrate the Central Java (Sailendran) art influence.

The Bangkok National Museum (Thai: พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ พระนคร, RTGS: Phiphitthaphanthasathan Haeng Chat Phra Nakhon) is the main branch museum of the National Museums in Thailand and also one of the largest museums in Southeast Asia.[1] It features exhibits of Thai art and history. It occupies the former palace of the vice king (or Front Palace), set between Thammasat University and the National Theater, facing Sanam Luang.[2]

The museum was established and opened in 1874 by King Chulalongkorn to exhibit the royal collections of his father King Mongkut. Today the galleries contain exhibits covering the Thai History back to Neolithic times. The collection includes The King Ram Khamhaeng's Inscription, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme registered in 2003 in recognition of its significance.[3]

Other than preserving and displaying Thai artifacts dating from the Dvaravati, Srivijaya, to Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods, the museum also displays extensive collections of regional Asian Buddhist Arts such as Indian Gandhara, Chinese Tang, Vietnamese Cham, Indonesian Java, and Cambodian Khmer arts.

As of April 2019, the museum is nearing the end of a decade-long renovation of its exhibition rooms. Twelve halls have been revamped already. Four more halls will be renovated over the next three years. All will receive new interiors, better lighting, and computer-aided multimedia displays.[4]

  1. ^ "National Museum". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
  2. ^ "National Museum". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  3. ^ "The King Ram Khamhaeng Inscription". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. 2009-10-23. Archived from the original on 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
  4. ^ Pholdhampalit, Khetsirin (2019-04-20). "Treasures of the highest order". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2019-04-19. Retrieved 2019-04-20.