The Ancient City Museum: A Gift to the Thai People
It is one thing to have a vision, a dream, it is quite another to bring that dream to fruition as did Lek Viriyahbhun. Born at the beginning of World War 1 to Chinese parents who had immigrated to Bangkok, Lek studied Social Science at Shanghai University before returning to Bangkok to take over his father’s pharmacy business when he became ill. Stepping into the business world eventually saw Lek become a very wealthy man through his many business enterprises.
However, it was Lek’s love of old culture and his passion for collecting works of art and old artifacts that led him to want to preserve them. That ultimately led him to develop the idea of building an historical park, after deciding not to build a golf course, and so began a 10 year detailed research exploration and experience of culture and art culminating in his dream and his vision of what would be a lasting gift to the Thai people, the construction of what is possibly the world’s largest outdoor historical museum – the Ancient City (Muang Boran), also known as Ancient Siam.
Situated approximately 40 kms southeast of central Bangkok, in the province of Samut Prakan, the museum is easily reached by taxi or BTS Skytrain to Kheha station, and from there a 10-minute taxi ride to the park. There are tours available to the park, but it is an easy journey to go independently leaving you free of any time restrictions.
A magnificent re-creation of the Dusit Maha Prasat Palace where state affairs and royal ceremonies were conducted.
And this is no ordinary park. Spread over 300 hectares in the shape of a miniature Thailand, it is divided into the four Thai regions: the Northern, Northeastern, Central and Southern Regions. The Ancient City has replicas of over 120 ancient historical and architectural monuments depicting Thai history, with an inclusion of architecture from Laos, China, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
Entry fee to the museum varies depending on where you buy your ticket. At the ticket office, adults (foreign nationals) will pay 700 baht although some online travel agencies such as Klook, Headout and Ticket2Attraction offer reduced entry fees. The ticket comes with a map of the museum, colour-coded to show specific information about the various constructions on display.
Green shows the buildings that have been retrieved from their original site for reconstruction, red indicates displays that have been duplicated and recreated from the historical evidence, and the purple is listed as Creative Design – although the museum’s website lists this area as Suvarnabhumi.
A Creative Design exhibit – a deity known as Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who conquers malevolent forces that threaten humanity.
There are several options for travelling inside the Ancient City. As it is such a large area, walking is not advisable especially in the heat, however, there is an electric tram service which runs at specific times and is included in the cost of the ticket. Bicycles are available for hire as are golf carts although it’s necessary to show an international driver’s license to get access to the cart. It is also possible, for a fee, to drive your own car through the park.
So with a small, very detailed map listing 116 exhibits to view, and me as an unreliable navigator, we head off to get a quick lesson in how not to crash a golf cart. As we drive into the park, my immediate impression is one of awe at the sheer size, and the beauty and incredible amount of care and work that has been invested into the architecture and artifacts on display.
Lek Viriyahbhun believed that over time the importance of the Thai culture was being lost, and as the cultural landscape was so extensive, he felt compelled to bring to life the “varied aspects including philosophies, beliefs, literature, arts, (and) history”.
In our golf cart at the Botanical Garden from Thai Literature, just one of many beautiful pavilions in the Ancient City.
It is not surprising that our first stop is the elegant blue and gold pavilion, Botanical Garden from Thai Literature. Surrounded by specifically selected trees and plants and situated at the edge of a lake, it is a reminder to the Thai people of their past connection to the botanical environment as mentioned in Thai literature during the period of the ancient kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya.
On this day as I walk through this beautiful space shrouded by trees, it is peaceful and serene. There are no other tourists, just an elderly lady focused on sweeping away the fallen leaves. It is a tranquil space.
Nearby on the lake, a group of colourful royal barges are anchored and have been meticulously reconstructed based on real barges. The royal barges were an important part of royal processions, state ceremonies and festivals. However, the barges are also a reminder of their history dating back to early Siamese civilization and the importance they continue to play in the everyday life of the Thai people on the waterways and canals.
Some of the barges in the Royal Watercourse Procession on the lake near the Botanical Garden from Thai Literature.
Following the road through the park we stop to buy a drink from one of the food vendors in the park. A bus load of school children, laughing and shouting with excitement scatter as they enter the nearby ghost temple. We move to the Northern region where a group of university students are concentrating on a shared team building activity in the grounds of the wihan of Wat Chiang Khong, an important shrine hall that holds the images of Buddha. It is a place where monks hold religious ceremonies.
This ancient teak hall was brought from Chiang Rai in the north and reconstructed on site depicting the classic style of the Lanna architecture of northern Thailand with its multi-tiered, steeply pitched roof. It is one of a number of wihans (shrines) in the park.
The Northeastern region of Thailand, known as Isaan and bordering Laos and Cambodia, has an extensive history of over 6,000 years. As we motor through this section, it is impractical to stop at every exhibit, so we select specific sites from a wide range of replicas of ancient ruins dating back to the 10th Century including Hindu monuments, Buddhist stupas, evidence of the distinctive architectural styles, elaborate sculptures, shrines, statues and fountains set in landscaped and manicured gardens – all depicting the myths and legends of Northeastern Thailand.
Inside the meticulously reconstructed Wat Chong Kham from the province of Lampang in northern Thailand.
The Central region is a busy section as it contains extensive monuments. Billed as the heart of the Thai culture, it highlights the importance of the Chaopraya River in the daily life of the Thai people with the floating market being one of the features of this section of the museum. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation on the day we were there.
This region also includes a step back in time to The Old Market Town, a collection of shops and houses (which were taken from an old community in Bangkok) and have been reconstructed to offer a glimpse into how a traditional ancient Thai community functioned. Similarly, a group of teak paneled Thai hamlets from the Central Plains offers an insight into how farmers of that region live.
But, by now, we are lost. The park is huge, and I don’t know where we are on the map. The numbering system for the exhibits has become confusing. There are intersecting roads and elaborate bridges over numerous waterways, and I can’t find them on the map, so it was a surprise to come across a collection of aged, wobbly spirit houses clumped together, forlorn and despondent under a bank of trees.
Some of the old spirit houses that we stumbled across whilst trying to find our way in the huge park that is the Ancient City.
Without a date signifying the history of them and no community to call home, one can only assume from their diverse styles that have been rescued from different locations. The belief is that these small shrines house holy spirits and will protect homes and the community from harm.
The Southern region is less densely populated with relics. However, it pays tribute to the many cultures that have contributed to Thai history including statues with a story believed to have come from Indonesian literature, images of three Hindu deities likely to have originated in India, and a reconstructed chedi created to replicate an ancient stupa found in Java.
By luck, rather than good navigation, we arrive at Phra That Mondop, an outstanding piece of architecture, and an important monument for Buddhists, as this stupa is said to hold relics of the Lord Buddha. This monument has been established as a sacred site in the Ancient City and it is near this site that the statues of the founder Lek Viriyahbhun and his wife, Prapai Viriyahbhun, who, according to the surrounding storyboards detailing his history, was his partner and inspiration for all that he achieved.
This impressive monument named Phra That Mondop was established as a blessing and sacred site in the Ancient City.
This museum is so big that it’s hard not to be overwhelmed and you may not get to see everything in one visit as we realised on reviewing our day that we had missed one section of the ancient monuments. While many of the exhibits have information relating to their history, others don’t. On the day we were there, there was little chance of too many people being at one exhibit as everything is so well spaced out. A visit to this museum is a concentrated course in Thai history and culture.
It was inspiring to see the amount of research, craftsmanship and attention to detail in all the exhibits. Perhaps the most outstanding monuments were the construction of the recreated Royal palaces. They were superb. Lek Viriyahbhun, in his writings, said he wanted to “capture the splendors of the past” and this he has certainly achieved.
He has not only left an exceptional legacy for the Thai people but has given this gift to all people so that we can come to know the cultural face and extensive history of Thailand. Thanks to Lek, his dream and his inspirational vision live on in Muang Boran - the Ancient City.
The Ancient City (Muang Boran) museum park is open daily from 9am to 6pm.
All images: © Vin Coffey
