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King Mongkut's Political and Religious Ideologies

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King Mongkut's Political and Religious Ideologies KING MONGKUT'S Buddhist sect, Thammayut, is characterised as rational, intellectual, and POLITICAL AND humanistic. Such religious reform was RELIGIOUS IDEOLOGIES integrated with scientific knowledge, THROUGH which he had learned during his contact ARCIDTECTURE AT PHRA with Christian missionaries as a monk and later as king. NAKHON KIRI1 Introduction Somphong Amnuay-ngerntra 2 King Mongkut, through his long Abstract association with Christian rmss10naries while in the monkhood and on the throne, and the Siamese elite were aware of the This research investigates King Mongkut 's increasing threat of European colonisation vision of modernity as expressed through in Southeast Asia, particularly after the the medium of Phra Nakhon Kiri in British defeated the Burmese in 1837, and Phetchaburi. King Mongkut used when western firearms were used to settle hierarchically traditional architecture as the Opium War in China in 1842 (Batson, a means of bolstering national pride and 1984: 4). In response to global political legitimising claims to the right ofkingship . circumstances, the Siamese elite Simultaneously, a political position of introduced the concept of modernity and Siam as a modern state was manifested W esternisation to Siam by incorporating through European-Sino-Siamese hybrid Western ideas of governance and architectural styles in the mid-nineteenth administration, changing the economy to a century. In addition, the bell-shaped market, cash economy (Keyes, 1989: 45). pagoda style within the site complex Notably, these Siamese elite, who had reflected his religious reform directed at foreseen the potential benefits from the upgrading monastic practices and trade treaty, welcomed the British purifying the canon. His reformed demands and later signed commercial treaties with European countries beginning 1 This essay is a revised version of the paper with Britain in 1855. Subsequently, these presented at the Third Asia-Pacific CHRIE Western treaties, led by the · Bowring (APacCHRIE) Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Treaty, removed all trade barriers and Malaysia, 26-28 May 2005. The author would established extraterritoriality for European like to express his grateful appreciation to subjects in Siam. Inevitably, the mass ·Professor Ross King, Faculty of Architecture arrival of Europeans had major socio­ Building and Planning, University of cultural influences on people of Siam, Melbourne, for his insightful and especially in term of modern scientific comprehensive comments. knowledge, health, and travel. This be~ 2 Assistant Professor, Travel Industry Management Division, Mahidol University witli the ruling elite who learned Western International College, Mahidol University scientific knowledge such as mechanical Downloaded from Brill.com10/05/2021 09:22:40PM via free access King Mongkut 's Political and Religious Ideologies engineering, medical science, navigation, while leading a monastic life, the princely and astronomy from their close contact monk made pilgrimage trips to many with foreigners. provinces and beca,me well acquainted with the living conditions of his subjects. According to a record in the Thus, when King Mongkut ascended the Thiphakornwong chronicle of 1861 (cited throne, he realised that visiting the in Koompong, 2003: 146), the modem provinces was essential · to good notion of physical retreat travel was also governance. Secondly, steamboats came initiated by Westerners, who submitted a into existence during his reign, therefore petition to the king for an open air plot to making travel much faster· than before. ride carriages or horses for pleasure and to Consequently, the king built seven country recuperat~. Similarly, visiting new places residences both close to and far from was also believed to be beneficial to health Bangkok. Those to the north included and longevity. Subsequently, the first three Bang Pa-In Palace and Chankasem Palace roads in Bangkok: Charoen Krung (New in Ayutthaya and Narai Ratchanivej Road), Bamrung Muang, and Fuang Palace in Lop~uri; and to the south, Phra Nakhon, were constructed, was followed Nakhon Kiri, in Phetchaburi. by the use of horse-drawn carriages introduced during the reign of King Unlike Phra Aphinaowaniwet in Bangkok Mongkut. This also coincided with the which was demolished during the reign of move from water-based transportation to King Chulalongkorn, Phra Nakhon Kiri is land-based transportation. still in existence and is . the largest and most outstanding country palace erected According to the ancient system of divine during King Rama IV's reign. It kingship, Siamese monarchs and their significantly reflects the influence of royal families usually resided only in the western notions of science, health, and Grand Palace. This was regarded as a travel. This site complex has a unique sacred place and the administrative center geographical setting and attractive (Sarakadee, 2003). Royal travel was landscape and also contains a number of usually resricted to day-trips to the buildings in European-Sino-Siamese provinces near 'Bangkok, due to security hybrid architectural styles manifesting concerns and undeveloped infrastructure. King Mongkut's personal identity, in The kings would rarely make a long trip terms of his vision of modernity and away from the residence, unless they were religious beliefs. In addition, Phra Nakhon required to travel on important missions Kiri is currently one of Thailand's most such as witnessing the search for white visited national museums and the leading elephants, enshrining . sacred Buddha symbolic landmark in Phetchaburi. In images, and commanding troops during spite of such heritage values, it is wartime (Benjawan, 2000). However, surprising that so little empirical research ac.cording to Naengnoi and Freeman has actually been conducted to analyse (1996), this changed during the reign of King Mongkut's intelligent thoughts and King Mongkut for two reasons. Firstly, symbolic meanings embedded in · the 73 Downloaded from Brill.com10/05/2021 09:22:40PM via free access MANUSYA: Journal ofHumanities I 0.1, 2007 content and patterns of the cultural Compositional Architecture at Phra artifacts, especially the architecture at Phra Nakhon Kiri Nakhon Kiri. Phra Nakhon Kiri, commonly known As architectural buildings significantly among local residents as Khao Wang (the reflect the priorities and values of the celestial city on the mountain), is a 95- makers and users through their designs, meter high rural palace erected in 1859 forms, styles, and characteristics of under the royal aspiration of King cultural materials, this study therefore Mongkut. The Hilltop Palace creates a attempts to investigate and analyse the spectacular cultural landscape where the abstract meaning of King Mongkut' s European-Sino-Siamese hybrid ideology of modernisation, religious architectural styles of the edifices blend beliefs and personality through the into the natural surroundings comprising medium of static buildings at Phra Nakhon woods, rocks, and caverns. His vision of Kiri that now have no 'life'. Indeed, the modernity was revealed through the study also attempts to 'seek' rather than to architectural style embedded in the palace 'ascertain' the meanings of his intelligent complex that included throne halls, thoughts. In conducting this enquiry, it is religious edifices notably the royal chapel not the source of the insight which and chedi (a domed or bell-shaped validates the claim; instead it is the pagoda), and other buildings including the explicit nature of the reasoning which pavilion and citadels. Also present were sustains it and the means by which the some Neo-Classic Western styles, as well available data can be brought into as Chinese workmanship as seen in the relationship with it (Renfrew, 1994). To roof structures, and in the roof layouts. infer about architectural history in Siam, The result is an interesting hybrid of and determine to what extent political · architectural styles particular to this place. visions are embedded in the architectural Furthermore, it is the first palace that has forms of Phra Nakhon Kiri, and the reason three prominent peaks erected on the same why, a thorough investigation was first mountain: the West, the Middle, and the required to understand the socio-political East peaks. phenomena and the background of the king. As the site complex consists of a The West Peak is the setting of a complex large number of residential and religious of the royal structures known as the buildings, the following section discusses Phetphum Phairot Throne Hall, which the political and cultural values of the currently serves as a museum featuring stylistic architecture at the royal palace, royal belongings and utensils of both King and that ofthe royal temple. Mongkut and his son, King Chulalongkorn (reigned 1868-1910). Some cultural artifacts in this hall include furniture, bronze sculptures, porcelain and glasses in European, Chinese, and Japanese styles. Originally, Phetphum Phairot was the hall 74 Downloaded from Brill.com10/05/2021 09:22:40PM via free access King Mongkut 's Political and Religious Ideologies in which the king gave an audience to his The two-storey cylindrical tower courtiers during his stay at Phra Nakhon has massive walls with semi­ Kiri. In 1910, the hall was converted to circular openings surrounded by a accommodation for visiting dignitaries dome made of curved steel including the Duke Johan Alberkt and his members and ring beams, the consort Princess Elizabeth Stolberk from interstices covered with pieces
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