Recommended sites to visit at the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006

November 7th, 2006

MOST recommended site to visit first will be The Royal Pavilion. A truly manificent Royal Pavilion constructed in the exquisite Lanna architectural style. The Royal Pavilion is located right in the heart of the event site housing exhibits related to His Majesty the King’s work and dedication. Designed to be the center of the knowledge, Royal Pavilion is an important element in Royal Flora Expo. With a total area of over 6,000 square meters, the Royal Pavilion has 2 floors and is part wood, part concrete. An exhibition called “An Agricultural King - A Brilliance that Benefits the People” will be housed on the 1st floor.

The 2nd floor of the Royal Pavilion will contain murals depicting activities of His Majesty the King. The murals are being painted by a famous Thai National Artist, Preecha Taothong, who also designed The Royal Virtue Tree, which by the time the exposition ends, will have 21,915 leaves — the number of days His Majesty the King has been on the throne. Each leaf is embossed with one of the Ten Royal Virtues — guidelines based on the teachings of the Lord Buddha that have been observed by Thai kings for generations. These virtues are meant to bring about good and just government, and include integrity, sacrifice, compassion and kindness.

There are three tiers of leaves, each with a different color. The leaves on the bottom tier are a coppery red, and relate to the time when His Majesty had recently acceded to the throne and began taking an interest in agricultural matters. The leaves in the middle are golden, symbolizing the time when his projects started to yield successful results and improve peoples’ lives. The leaves on the upper tier are the color of platinum, and symbolize the present day sixty years since His Majesty’s accession.

Residents of Thailand will be able to pay tribute to His Majesty the King by making a contribution of 999 baht (approximately USD 24). Each contributor will get one leaf to help complete the Royal Virtue Tree, and will receive a certificate as a memento of their contribution.

Another most-visited zone in the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 is the international garden zone featuring flora from 33 countries. The gardens from the countries of Bhutan, Japan, China, The Netherlands, Belgium and Laos seem to be the most crowded site.

“The Himalayan Garden of Peace” by Bhutan has won the 3rd prize from 33 countries participating in the International Horticulture Exhibition the “Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006″ at Chiang Mai during November 01 2006-January 31 2006.

The garden consists of boundary wall with carvings of the Eight Lucky signs, Geykars and main gate with Bhutanese carvings; chukhor mani dedicated for the long life and good health of Thai King and Peace on Earth; a sangthap; a bridge of friendship with the carvings of Blue poppy, Ratchaphruek, the Royal Flora of Thailand and Thuenpa Puen zhi, and a resting pavilion. The Garden also displays diversity of fruit and aromatic plants and orchids from Bhutan.

Pictures from www.nationalmultimedia.com , www.manager.co.th, Ministry of Agricultural, Bhutan

Tags: Royal Flower Expo Thailand, Royal Flora Rajchapruek, Thailand hotels, Chiang Mai hotels, Royal Virtue Tree, Royal Pavilion, Bhutan Garden, Belgium Garden,

Entry Filed under: Thailand Destination