Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall

The Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall ( _th. พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม) is a former reception hall within Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. It is now a museum.

One year after construction was completed of the Amphorn Satharn Villa, King Rama V commissioned the construction of Ananda Samakhom. It is situated to the east of Amphorn Satharn Villa. The commemorative stone was placed by King Rama V in November on the occasion of his 40th year of ascension to the throne. Ananda Samakhom is named after an old hall constructed during the reign of His Majesty King Rama IV which at the time was in such bad condition that it could not be renovated.

The throne hall was used as the headquarters of the People's Party during the four days of the 1932 Revolution (June 24-27), which transformed the country's political system from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. The first National People's Assembly convened on June 28, 1932 in this throne hall. After that, it was used as the Parliament House until 1974 when the new Parliament House was opened nearby. However, the old Parliament House is still used for the State Opening of Parliament marking the first assembly in consequence of a general election for the House of Representatives.

Construction

Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall was constructed in the Italian Renaissance and Neoclassical style of architecture. The exterior is decorated with marble from Carrara, Italy. It is a two storey marble construction approximately 49.50 meters wide, 112.50 meters long and 47.50 meters high with a large center dome surrounded by six smaller domes. Construction was carried out during the latter years of King Rama V's life. It was completed in 1915, having taken eight years and a total budget of 15 million baht to complete.

Paintings

On the interior of the domes are paintings depicting the history of the Chakri Dynasty from the first to the sixth reign painted by Galileo Chini and C. Riguli. On the interior of the northern dome is a painting of His Majesty King Rama I upon his return from the war with Cambodia. On the eastern dome is a painting of Their Majesties King Rama II and King Rama III supporting art. On the western dome is a painting of King Rama IV supporting religious activities and on the southern dome is a painting of King Rama V abolishing slavery.

References

*Citation |last1= |first1= |date=2007|title= Guide to the Dusit Palace (brochure)|place=Bangkok|publisher=

External links

* [http://www.vimanmek.com/ Dusit Palace]