Visiting the Royal Palace

By: Jenisa Rodriguez

The Royal Palace was definitely a sight to see. When entering the Royal Palace you are greeted with a corridor with beautiful greenery, and walls filled with intricate designs. The main courtyard area consists of a beautifully, well kept garden that stands right in front of the main palace. We weren’t able to take pictures of the main palace but a peak inside revealed the vast, almost simplistic room that encompassed only a large gold throne, and was adorned with chandeliers and more intricate designs. Besides the main palace and the beautiful architecture surrounding it, was the praying room. The floor is covered in more than five thousand pieces of silver. Inside of the praying room stood two main attractions, an emerald buddha, along with a solid gold buddha filled with 15-25 karat diamonds. Despite all of the large, over powering architecture, I felt a sense of humility in some of the things I looked at. For example, the large painting of the story of the Hindu religion that spanned across several meters of the palace walls. Our tour guide said it took 40 painters to finish the mural, and dedicating that much time, effort, and space to me, shows how they value the origins of an aspect of their culture. Another story that showed me the same thing, was the story of the king and his daughter. The tour guide told us that the king had a daughter that he loved very much, but she got sick at the age of 4 and passed away. When she passed away he was so distraught. He mourned her death by donating a part of his money and land to build a hospital free to children. Giving back to the community when in a position of power is the best aspect a leader can have, and the king definitely showed that. Overall the palace and the stories behind it make visiting a worthwhile experience.

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