Gold royal regalia items on display for public at Ayutthaya museum
The national museum in Ayutthaya province has officially opened its new Gold Artefacts Building, which showcases centuries-old gold jewellery items from the ancient Siamese capital.
Many of the items on display are royal regalia and personal items of the kings from the Ayutthaya Period (1351-1767).
The new edifice at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum features gold artefacts discovered in the repositories of temples in the province, which is officially called Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. The Ayutthaya Period temples include Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat, Wat Suwan Chedi, and Wat Phutthaisawan.
Among the 2,244 items on display are the Sword of Victory (Phra Sang Khan Chaisri) — one of the ancient royal regalia — Phra Kachathan royal elephant saddle, Chula Mongkut coronet, and Phra Suwan Mala hat.
Access to the new building is free to the public from Friday (December 30) to next Monday (January 2), as a New Year present from the Culture Ministry.
Culture Minister Ittipol Khunpluem inspected the Gold Artefacts Building during his visit to the museum on Thursday (December 29). He was greeted by senior officials of the Fine Arts Department, including its director general Phanombootra Chandrajoti.
The new building has two storeys with a space of 3,275 square metres. It is divided into three display areas — gold royal regalia and royal personal items, gold Buddha images and Buddha relics, and an exhibition on the beliefs about how Buddha relics were put into the pagodas at different temples in Ayutthaya.
