6 The Manohra Garden

27| Sanphet Prasat Palace, Ayutthaya

The Sanphet Prasat Palace was the principal palace in the early Ayutthaya period. It was initially built in the reign of King Phra Baromatrai Lokanat, the eighth king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. He succeeded in designing a unique architectural style that obviously differed from the preceding Khmer and Sukhothai styles. The distinctive artistic style was later known as the Ayutthaya school which appeared in many parts of the Sanphet Prasat Palace: the sweep of the basement, the tapering pillars, the elaborate pinnacle ornaments, the pedimented door and window frames and the overlapping roof slopes.

The Sanphet Prasat Palace was used in many important court and state ceremonies. For example, it served as a reception hall to receive many foreign dignitaries. The palace was completely renovated in the reign of King Baromakot. Unfortunately, when Ayutthaya fell to Burma in 1767 A.D., the stately palace was burnt to the ground. Only its raised brick basement remains today.

Muang Boran has rebuilt the Sanphet Prasat Palace based on archaeological and historical evidence left by Thai and foreign historians. Also, research was conducted on the ruins to assemble a draft plan of the building. The detailed design and ornaments of the building were executed based on historical remains and documents as well. A proper study on the design of the interior had also been carried out. The result is superb magnificence. The important characteristics of the palace are given as follows:

The Overall Structure and Ornaments of the Building

The cruciform of Sanphet Prasat Palace is formed by the core of the building, a tall cube rabbeted at each angle, and two wings adjacent to both sides of the central hall. The front and back wings are in fact large halls, but the effect is that of porches abutting a central tower. The largest porch, i.e.,