This popular verse of an ancient Thai poem on the royal
barge procession crosses our mind when we step into the National Museum of
Royal Barges in Thon Buri and see a royal barge with the figurehead of a
mythical swan. The Suphannahong Royal Barge is one of the eight stunning royal
barges on display along with objects used in the procession.
Eight of all the Kingdom's 52 royal barges, all wooden
dug-outs, are housed here. Six others are housed at Wasukri Pier and the rest —
Rua Dang, Rua Sang, Rua Sua Thayanchon and Rua Sua Kamron Sin, some of which
date back to the Thon Buri period — are housed at the Royal Thai Navy's royal
barges division, opposite the museum.
The eight royal barges displayed at the museum are:
Suphannahong Royal Barge, Narai Song Suban HM King Rama IX Royal Barge,
Anekkachatphuchong Royal Barge, Anantanakaraj Royal Barge, Asura-Vayuphak
Barge, Ekkachai Hern Hao Barge, Krut Hern Het Barge and Krabi Prab Muang Mara
Barge.
The most important one is the Suphannahong Royal Barge,
which is the highest-ranked royal barge and the King is usually aboard this
one. The reconstruction of this barge began during the reign of King Rama V and
was completed in 1911, in the reign of King Rama VI in place of Sri
Suphannahong Royal Barge, which was built in the First Reign.
The prow was carved as the zoomorphic figurehead of a
mythical swan, gold-gilded and decorated with mirrored glass. The body is black
on the outside and red on the inside. It is 3.17m wide, 46.15m long and 0.94m
deep and must be manned by 50 oarsmen and two steersmen. It was granted the
World Ship Trust Maritime Heritage Award in 1992.
The Narai Song Suban HM King Rama IX Royal Barge was
constructed for the celebration of HM the King's Golden Jubilee in 1996. The
prow is a carved wooden and gold lacquer figure of the four-handed god Vishnu
riding the Garuda.
The Anekkachatphuchong Royal Barge was the first royal barge
built in the reign of King Rama V. It is called Rua Phra Thinang Sri, or a
second-level royal barge. Its wooden prow is carved, gold-gilded and decorated
with mirrored glass in the image of thousands of Naga and has the seven-headed
Naga on top.
The Anantanakaraj Royal Barge was rebuilt in 1914 in the
reign of King Rama VI for use in place of the deteriorated original one, which
was constructed in the reign of King Rama IV. It is called Rua Phra Thinang
King when the king is on aboard and called Rua Phra Thinang Rong when it is for
enshrining an important Buddha statue. The prow is carved, gold-gilded and
adorned with mirrored glass in the image of the seven-headed Naga. The other
barges were constructed in the reign of King Rama I and either restored or
rebuilt in the reign of His Majesty the King after being damaged by the World
War II bombing.
Among the other masterpieces are the head of the original
Narai Song Suban Royal Barge, which was built in the Fourth Reign and damaged
during the World War II bombing, as well as the prows or tails of some other
damaged barges. Also shown in the museum are the model of the royal barge
procession, traditional uniforms for oarsmen, musical instruments, embroidered
clothes and flags, weapons and paddles.
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Located by the Bangkok Noi Canal, this museum, or the former
Royal Barge Procession Dockyard, was established in the reign of King Taksin
the Great (1767-1782). In 1974, all the royal barges were registered by the
Fine Arts Department as national heritages and the National Museum of Royal
Barges was officially established.
The Fine Arts Department in collaboration with the Royal
Thai Navy, the Crown Property Bureau and the Department of Tourism will come up
with a plan to improve the museum in 2015.
"The master plan will be about improving the museum and
its surrounding areas, creating local people's understanding and co-operation
in the development, seeking to expand and use the museum as information and
learning centre about the royal barges and the waterside way of life," he
added.
According to the department, the museum is hoped to have
better space usage, exhibitions, and storage rooms and be ready to become a
world-class cultural attraction. It is expected to attract at least 100,000
Thai and foreign visitors each year after the renovation. At present, it is
visited by about 5,000 people a day during the high season and by fewer than
100 people per day from April to September due to its hard-to-access location
by chartered or tour boats.
