Architecture Of Phara Mongkol

Wat Phra Kaew has a number of buildings in the precincts of the Grand Palace that covers a total area of over 94.5 hectares (234 acres). It has over 100 buildings with "200 years royal history and architectural experimentation" linked to it. The architectural style is named as Rattanakosin style (old Bangkok-style). The main temple of the Emerald Buddha is decorated and similar to the temple in ancient capital of Ayutthaya. The roof is embellished with polished orange and green tiles, the pillars are inlaid with mosaics and the pediments are made of marble, installed in the 18th century. The Emerald Buddha reposes on an elevated altar surrounded by large gilded decorations. While the upper part of this altar was part of the original construction, the base was added by King Rama III. Two images of the Buddha, that represent the first two kings of the Chakri dynasty, flank the main image. Over the years, the temple has retained its original design. Minor improvements have been made after its construction during Rama I's reign: temple woodwork was replaced by King Rama III and King Chulalongkorn; during King Mongkut's reign, the doors and windows and the copper plates on the floor were added; Rama III refurbished the wall painting (indicative of the universe according to Buddhist cosmology) and several frescos that display various stages of the Buddha's life; three chambers were added on the west side by King Mongkut; in the chamber known as Phra Kromanusorn at the north end, images of Buddha have been installed in honour of the kings of Ayutthaya Kingdom; and in the 19th century, Khrua In Khong, a famous painter, created the wall murals. The entry to the temple is from the third gate from the river pier.^{[2][4][9][10][11][12][13]}

The entrance is guarded by a pair of yakshis (mythical giants) – 5 metres (16 ft) high statues). The Buddha image in brilliant green colour is 66 centimetres (26 in) in height with a lap width of 48.3 centimetres (19.0 in). It is carved in a yogic position, known as Virasana, a meditation pose commonly seen in images in Thailand, South India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia). The pedestal on which the Emerald Buddha sits is decorated with Garuda (the mythical half-man, half-bird form, a steed of Rama, who holds his mortal enemy Naga the serpent in his legs). The image made with a circular base has a smooth top-knot that is finished with a "dulled point marking at the top of the image". A third eye made in gold is inset over the elevated eyebrows of the image. The image appears divine and composed, with the eyes cast downward. The image has a small nose, closed mouth, and elongated ears. The hands are placed on the lap with palms facing upwards.^[2][11][14]

External decorations of the ubosot, the main building of Wat Phra Kaew

The entire complex, including the temples, is bounded by a compound wall, one of the most prominent parts of the wat. It is about 2 kilometres (6,600 ft) in length. The compound walls are decorated with Thai murals, based on the Indian epic Ramayana. In the Thai language these murals are known to form the Ramakian, the Thai national epic that was written during the reign of Rama I. These stories formed the basis for the paintings made during the reign of King Rama I (1782–1809). These paintings are refurbished regularly. The murals, in 178 scenes starting from the north gate of the temple, illustrates the complete epic story of Ramayana sequentially, in a clockwise direction covering the entire compound wall. The murals serve to emphasise human values of honesty, faith, and devotion.^{[2][4][9][12]}

There are twelve salas, built by Rama I, around the temple. They house interesting artefacts of regions such as Cambodia and Java. One of these salas had an inscription of Ramkamhaeng that was moved, in 1924, to the National Library. During the reign of King Mongkut, the Phra Gandharara, a small chapel at the southwest corner, and a tall belfry