A royal monument in the city centre has just been renovated and will soon be open to the public
USNISA SUKHSVASTI and YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK
Tucked behind Bangkok's main shopping district of Pathumwan, Tamnak Yai (literally the Great Mansion) - the former palace of Queen Savang Vadhana, grandmother of His Majesty the King - stands proudly within the vast compound of Sra Pathum Palace overlooking the urban landmark that is Siam Paragon. It was here that Queen Savang Vadhana, queen of the fifth reign, spent the last 39 years of her long life with her son, Prince Mahidol, and his wife, the Princess Mother, and her grandchildren.
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| The Queen Savang Vadhana museum. |
It was here that the wedding of Their Majesties the King and Queen took place in April 1950, as well as that of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Mahidol and the Princess Mother before that.
The mansion has been set up as a museum following the royal initiative of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the newest royal resident of Sra Pathum Palace. After three years of fund-raising and restoration, the once deserted palace has now been brought back to life, ready to fulfil its aim of reminding the public of the achievements of Queen Savang Vadhaha and what she did for the country and the people.
The queen was a visionary, and thoroughly advanced beyond her years at a time when women were still voiceless. She was the president of the Thai Red Cross, a position she held until her death in 1955.
She also set up a mobile doctors unit, which travelled around the country providing medical treatment by ox-cart, a concept which was sustained by her daughter-in-law, the Princess Mother.
Her interest in public health inspired her son, Prince Mahidol to take up medicine after he had completed his studies at a naval academy in Germany. Furthermore, the Princess Mother herself was a recipient of a nursing scholarship funded by the queen.
Queen Savang Vadhana was a royal patron of Siriraj Hospital as well as Somdet Na Sriracha Hospital in Chon Buri.
The queen was equally interested in education, especially the equal opportunity for education for girls and boys. She was therefore, a royal patron of Rajini School, as well as the monks' college in Pathum Wanaram Temple.
On the political front, she put up funds from her privy purse to pay off damage claims by the French who gained land on the left bank of the Mekong River as a result of the 1893 crisis.
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| The east wing of Tamnak Yai, former residence of Queen Savang Vadhana. |
The Study. |
The White Bedroom. |
Soci-economic issues were also part of her concern. To allow women to earn a steady income, she introduced rice mills and weaving groups, and encouraged them to take up handicrafts.
All these achievements are displayed in a well-presented museum in a building north of Tamnak Yai. Here, a video room plays a documentary of the queen's life and achievements, and a well-researched genealogical tree dominates one wall of the museum.
Most significant is the Tamnak Yai itself, which is believed to have been designed by Italian architect Mario Tamagno based on its architectural similarities to Sri Sudhinivas Throne Hall in Phaya Thai Palace and Ban Phraya Suriyanuwat.
The interior of Tamnak Yai has been recreated to represent the three stages of its residency. The first stage dates from the early days when the mansion was first completed in approximately 1914 to welcome its first royal inhabitant, Prince Mahidol, upon his return from Germany. This stage was highlighted by the wedding of Prince Mahidol and Miss Sangwan Talabhat, officiated by King Vajiravudh in 1920. This period is represented by the Reception Room and the Ceremonial Room.
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| Northern entrance to Tamnak Yai. |
The Grey Bedroom. |
The second stage, represented by the Grey Bedroom and the Study, marks the return of Prince Mahidol and his consort and eldest daughter from England, during which Queen Savang Vadhana took up residence in the adjacent Tamnak Kiew (Green Mansion) to make way for her son and his expanding family.
The third stage, represented by the White Bedroom, the Prayer Room and the Leisure Room, mark the return of Prince Mahidol and the Princess Mother with their three children from the US. A new mansion, Tamnak Mai (New Mansion) was built to house the young family while the queen remained in Tamnak Yai until the end of her days.
The east entrance to Tamnak Yai has been set as the entrance to the palace museum. The first room has been set up as a display area for some of the memorabilia of the palace. Most notable is a selection of correspondence - letters, telegraphs and even wills - between Queen Savang Vadhana and various members of the royal family. Another cabinet display the queen's diamond studded reading glasses, a pair of round tortoise shell sunglasses complete with wind shades, enamel Faberge' pill boxes, powder compact, as well as a vanity case, a portable medicine case and a set of tortoise shell cigarette cases still containing tobacco, paper and matches.
This room opens into the central Ceremonial Room, set up as a dining room dominated by a table from Maple and Co, France, which can seat six to 16 guests. The table setting, set for a six-course dinner, features a set of red porcelain dishes with the initials Sor Wor (SV), corresponding to the queen's but originally belonging to her fourth son who died in 1899.
Space has been cleared at one end of the room to a classical dance performance by students of Rajini School who would be waiting their cue in the first room.
Next is the Reception Room, with Louis XVI chairs from France that are carved wood in natural colour, not gilded, due to constraints of World War Two. The new woven upholstery mimics the original tapestry cover.
A selection of antique clocks line the west stairwell that leads up to the Grey Bedroom belonging to Prince Mahidol. A crystal jug and wash basin emblazoned with the initials of Crown Prince Vajirunhis, Queen Savang Vadhana's eldest son who died in 1894, stands on a side table, while bottles of eau de cologne, as well as an old bottle of talcum powder are still intact.
The bedroom opens onto the Study, very masculine with its leather upholstered sofas and chairs, and wooden desk and cabinets lined with books in English, French and German on topics ranging from science and engineering to education. A Remington Standard typewriter stands in one corner.
The adjacent Leisure Room features an octagonal card table which was used by the queen, her desk with Thai Red Cross stationery, and sofa where the queen enjoyed reading magazines, including National Geographic.
A small Prayer Room, with a wonderful collection of Buddha images precedes the White Bedroom, so named because of the colour of the queen's furniture. A small four-poster bed dominates the centre of the room, while a light green day bed hides in a cloister. A large old-fashioned safe stands near the bed, and the walls, like in most other rooms, are lined with portraits of the royal family.
A pair of the queen's high-heeled shoes, tube skirts and shoulder cloth is displayed in one corner of the room.
The bathroom features a bathtub that has an intriguing rain shower and side spray for an invigorating all-around wash.
The long verandah that runs the length of the second floor was where the Queen spent her mornings. A low mattress and cushion and side table is in the exact place as when she presided over the wedding between Their Majesties the King and Queen.
The palace museum was officially opened by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn yesterday, and it will soon be open for public viewing, though a date has not yet been announced.
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