|Jankasem Palace is located on the bank of Pasak River, or known as Khue Na Canal in the past in the northeast of Mueang Ayutthaya Island close to Hua Ror Market, Hua Ror Sub-district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. Jankasem Palace or the front place was built in the reign of King Mahathammarachathirat around 1577, the purpose of which was to be the residence for King Naresuan during his office as Uparaja of Phitsanulok.
|In addition, the palace used to be the residence for the important kings and Uparajas which were 8 individuals, namely:
|- King Naresuan
|- King Ekathotsarot
|- Prince Suthat
|- King Narai
|- Khun Luang Sorasak (Phra Chao Suea)
|- King Thai Sa
|- King Borommakot
|- Krom Phra Ratchawang Bovorn Maha Senapitak
|After the second fall of Ayutthaya in 2310, the palace was abandoned. Until the reign of King Rama IV of Rattanakosi, Jankasem Palace was renovated and improved to be used as a residence when the king visited Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. The name Jankasem Palace was granted by the king.
|Later, King Chulalongkorn assigned Jankasem Palace to be Ayutthaya Office. Pimanrattaya Buildings which were a group of buildings in the middle of the palace were used as the offices.
|When Phraya Boran Ratchathanin assumed his position as the intendant of Ayutthaya Office, he built an office building in the west to connect to the one in the south and moved the old office at Pimanrattaya Building to the new office building.
|Architecture of Jankasem Palace
|The present structures were mostly built in the reign of King Mongkut. Then, they had been used as the residence for the king and the office until the reign of King Rama VII. After that, buildings were repaired and renovated as follows.
|The palace wall which is now a brick wall with battlements has one gate for each direction, which is 4 gates in total. Ayutthaya people said that Jankasem Palace originally had two walls like the royal palace.
|Chaturamuk Pavilion King Chulalongkorn ordered to build this pavilion as twin pavilions. They were used as the stateroom for work and for residency.
|Phiman Rattaya Palace is a group of buildings consisting of the left-wing and right-wing buildings, Phiman Rattaya Palace and a ceremonial pavilion. In 1899, King Chulalongkorn used these buildings as Ayutthaya Office.
|Phisai Salaluck Building (Astronomy Tower) King Chulalongkorn graciously built this tower according to its original foundation since the reign of King Narai in order to be used to study astronomy.
|Royal Stable a two-story brick building plastered with concrete located on the rim of the wall to the northwest.
|Sua Pa Club Building was built during the reign of King Mongkut and is located by the wall to the west side.
|Office Building or Interior Building was built when Phraya Boran Ratchathanin (Porn Dechakup) was in office as the lord lieutenant of Ayutthaya. It is a one-story building built along the wall to the east and the west.
|Jankasem Palace, Ayutthata Museum
|During Phraya Boran Ratchathanin (Porn Dechakup)’s office as the lord lieutenant of Ayutthaya, je studied and gathered a large amount of information about artifacts around Ayutthaya and neighboring areas and stored it at Jankasem Palace. Until 1902, Krom Phraya Damrong Rajanubhab suggested Phraya Boran Ratchathanin that he establish a museum called "Ancient Museum". In the initial phase, the royal stable was used as the place to store antiquities.
|Later, on 23 February 1904, King Chulalongkorn ordered to move the artifacts from the royal stable to store and display at Chatuarmuk Pavilion and built a terrace along the building in the north and the east to display artifacts, stones and sculptures. The king also granted the name "Ayutthaya Museum".
|In 1812, King Rama V went on a European trip. When he arrived in Hamburg in Germany, he sent a telegraph to Krom Phraya Damrong Rajanubhab saying that "The museum here is like Ayutthaya Museum". For this reason, “Ayutthaya Museum at that time became known by those who were interested in artifacts and national archeology.
|Jankasem Palace is located on the bank of Pasak River, or known as Khue Na Canal in the past in the northeast of Mueang Ayutthaya Island close to Hua Ror Market, Hua Ror Sub-district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. It was originally the Front Palace of Ayutthaya. According to the Chronicle of Ayutthaya, it was built in the reign of King Rama V in 1577, the purpose of which was to be the residence for King Naresuan who was, at that time, the regent of Phitsanulok. When he visited Ayutthaya, he usually had a lot of soldiers and followers and there was insufficient accommodation. Therefore, King Mahathammarachathirat, who was King Naresuan’s father, graciously ordered to build a “new palace” in the east of the royal palace. Then, when King Naresuan emigrated people from the north of Ayutthaya, he would stay at this palace. The northern people who were emigrated to reside in the area called Jan Palace according to Jan Palace in Phisanulok. When King Naresuan ascended the throne, he appointed Ekathotsarot to be the regent of Jan Palace. In 1605, the King also appointed Prince Suthat, his son, to be the regent of Jan Bovorn Palace. From the land of Somdet Phrachao Songtham to Somdet Phrachao Prasatthong, Jan Bovorn palace had not been visited by Uparaja for 46 years. Until the reign of Somdet Phra Sri Suthammaracha in 1656, he graciously appointed King Narai, his grandchild to be the regent of Jan Bovorn Palace. It was assumed that the name Jan Bovorn Palace was changed to Bovorn Sathan Mongkol Palace after King Narai ascended the throne. Later, during the reign of Somdet Phra Petaracha around 1688, he appointed Luang Sorasak, his son, to be the regent and called this title Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Sathan Mongkol. This name may come from the name of Bovorn Sathan Mongkol Palace where the regent resided. The royalties in the back palace called it Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Sathan Phimuk, and it was the name used throughout the Rattanakosin era. When Luang Sorasak (Phrachao Sua) ascended the throne in 1730, he graciously appointed Somdet Phrachao Taisa, his son, to be Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Sathan Mongkol and to stay at this Front Palace until he ascended the throne in 1732. Therefore, the Front Palace was under the rule of King Borommakot. After the coronation in the royal palace, King Borommakot had resided at the Front Palace for 14 years. In the meantime, he appointed Krom Khun Senaphitak (Prince Thammathibet) as Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Sathan Mongkol. Initially, he was assigned to stay at the royal palace. Until 1744, a fire broke out in the Front Palace, so the king graciously ordered to build a new royal palace and assigned Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Sathan Mongkol to stay at the Front Palace. He was the last regent to stay in the Front Palace after this reign. The Front Palace had been vacant until the second fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. After that this palace was abandoned, and there were only remains of brick building plastered with concrete like other archeological sites in Ayutthaya.
|Time passed, and until the early Rattanakosin period Ayutthaya was restored and renovated, especially during the reign of King Rama IV since 1851 onward. Evidence from an important document was the Archives of the King Rama IV 1852 which mentioned Jankasem Palace for the first time when the king sent a letter to Phraya Boran of Ayutthaya, the subject of which was “Krom Phitak will raise fund for renovation of Jankasem Palace”. In the letter, it was stated that Jankasem at that time may have started its renovation by Phraya Mahasiritham, the governor of Ayutthaya who rebuild the palace wall around 1857. In the following year, the king went to see the renovation of Jankasem Palace, including that of Sena Sanaram Temple and Khamin Temple.
|Later, in 1861, the King appointed Phra-ong Chao Chitchengpongkro to be chief to supervise the construction of the palace and pavilion. He ordered the construction to be completed in a timely manner. During the reign of King Rama IV, he graciously ordered to restore Jankasem Palace in order to be his residence when he visited Ayutthaya. The former name of the palace was called “Jan Bovorn Palace”, and the word “Bovorn” reminded the king of the Front Palace. After the palace was completed, the king granted a new name “Jankasem Palace” for the group of buildings and pavilions built during that time such as Jaturamuk Pavilion which was a wooden building built on the original foundation. Around the front gate in the north stood a group of Phimanrattaya buildings in the middle of the palace including Phisai Salaluck Tower (Astronomy Tower) in which the king used for stargazing, the theater, the kitchen and the royal stable.
|The structures and palace buildings were assumed to be completed during the reign of King Rama V, especially Phimanrattaya buildings which were completed in 1895. After the administrative reform, 8 districts were combined into one province which consisted of Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Saraburi, Lopburi, Phraputthabat, Promburi, Intaburi and Singburi, and the provincial office was established in Ayutthaya. In 1896, King Chulalongkorn ordered to renovate Jankasem Palace in order to appoint it as the provincial office. He graciously ordered Krom Khun Marupong Siripat to be the regent of Ayutthaya as appeared in the official letter of Ayutthaya numbered 1043057 dated 16 September Rattanakosin Era 117. The content in the letter is as follows:
|"The museum here is like the one in Ayutthaya. I miss Phraya Boran, and I shall write a book about this museum." King Chulalongkorn sent those texts by telegraph from Hamburg, Germany, when he visited Europe for the second time in 1872, which showed his interest in the museum affairs. Ayutthaya Museum in Jankasem Palace was becoming popular because it was arranged to be a modern museum like the one in Europe.
|After the establishment of Ayutthaya Hall in Jankasem Palace in 1896, Luang Anurak Phubet, the regent of Ayutthaya at that time, was also interested in history of archeology by habit. He was keen in researching and seeking knowledge from reading and exploring antiquities in Ayutthaya Province. It was said that he was an important guru of Ayutthaya and was also favored by King Chulalongkorn. In 1901, Luang Anurak was promoted to be “Phraya Boran Burarak”, Secretary of Ayutthaya. With his knowledge in archeology and history since he was Luang Anurak Phubet, he collected artifacts from various places from his exploration and stored a number of them in Jankasem Palace. Until the year 1902, Krom Phraya Damrongrachanupab, who was the chief official of the Ministry of Interior at that time, went up to see the antiquities and artifacts that Phraya Boran Burarak had collected and persuaded Phraya Boran Burarak to establish the place as the museum. The area at the royal stable was arranged into a collection and exhibition spot and was initially called "Ancient Museum".
|Until 23 February 1904, King Chulalongkorn visited Ancient Museum in Jankasem Palace and wrote a note in the museum book “This museum houses more antiquities than expected, and they are well-arranged.” After that, the king graciously granted permission to transfer the objects from the royal stable to exhibit at Jaturamuk Pavilion. Some antiquities which were large stones and metals were supported by brick base and located inside the palace wall to the north and east. In addition, a terrace with galvanized-iron roof was built exhibition zone, and a museum in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya was established under the name "Ayutthaya Museum".
|In 1908, a telegraph was sent to Krom Phraya Damrong Rajanubhab. When Phraya Boran Ratchathanin found out, he was very pleased as if he were granted a reward for establishing the museum. The hand-written letter numbered 35 which King Chulalongkorn served to Princess Nibha Nobhadol, Princess of Uthong, who was his secretary at that time, talking about the museum in Hamburg as follows: "It is lovely how they keep various items from the excavation, like a torn basket with burns like the one Phraya Boran has in Ayutthaya. Phraya Boran must have been on the right path…”It showed that Phraya Boran Ratchathanin shared the same practice in terms of managing the museum in Ayutthaya.
|Consequently, Ayutthaya Museum became an important place which always welcomed visitors It was because artifacts were displayed in groups and were not stored in a storeroom like those in the museum in Bangkok. Later on 12 February 1936, Fine Arts Department proclaimed Ayutthaya Museum as the national museum in the Royal Government Gazette. It was the first regional museum of Thailand where certain artifacts has been displayed up until today. Even during the establishment of the national museum, Chao Sam Phraya brought some items displayed at Jaturamuk Pavilion in Jankasem Palace to display there as well.
|At present Jankasem Palace has the area of 14 Rais and 93 square meters. In the past, the area was much larger than it is today. There are the palace wall located in the north, Khun Saen Temple (Sua Temple) in the south and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya shrine in the east. According to the Front Palace Legend book by Price Damrong Rajanubhab, it stated that “the Front Palace area was originally larger than this wall. Senaram Temple and Khamin Temple were in the palace area (during Ayutthaya era, the temples had no monk) because the remains of royal palace foundation, lotus pile and Rahatnam base were found in the aforesaid area in the excavation.”
|According to Ayutthaya people who gave details about Jankasem Palace, they said “there were 2 walls like those in the royal palace. The outer wall was 3.5 meters tall, and there was a 1-meter-thick terrace for soldiers. The length of the wall was measured as 960 meters, and there were 6 large gates of 2 meters wide and 2 small gates, which are 8 gates in total. In front of Uparaja’s palace was a state room, and behind the state room were 3 buildings: one in the north, another in the south and the other in the east. The buildings in the east and the west have a 2-story roof, but the one in the south has a 3-story roof which was the residence of Uparaja. All the buildings were gilded, and the interior was painted in red. The building in the south is called Phimanrattaya Palace, and the ones in the west and the east are called Phra Prad where the throne was situated. In front of the palace are 3 mews, one storeroom, 3 elephant corrals and one pond.
|In the reign of King Rama I and King Rama III ordered the brick wall to be demolished in order to bring the bricks to build a palace in Bangkok and a monastery in 1895. Phraya Chai Wichit Sithsak Mahanakrathikarn (Nak Na Pompetch), the regent of Ayutthaya at that time, demolished the wall around the city (U-thong Road at present). The new wall in Jankasem Palace today was the new one built in the reign of King Rama IV when he graciously renovated the palace and built a brick wall plastered with concrete, each side of which was 160 meters long with battlements on the wall. There are gates in 4 directions, each of which has 1 gate.
|Most of the structures existing at present were built in the reign of King Rama IV and were later used as theresidence and the provincial office. Until the reign of King Rama VII, he ordered the buildings to be renovated.
|Jaturamuk Pavilion is located near the wall in the northeast. It is a wooden building with a terrace built of bricks and plastered with concrete. King Rama IV ordered a new pavilion to be rebuilt on the same foundation to be used as the stateroom for work when he visited Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. The features of Jaturamuk Pavilion includes 3 terraces in the front and 3 in the back roofed with tiles and tooth-like ridges (Chor Fah Bai Raka) on 6 terraces. There were originally different plaster statues with the royal emblem on the tympanum at 6 terraces which are:
|In front of the middle terrace stands a statue with the emblem of Maha-ongkarn
|In front of the northern terrace stands a statue with the emblem of Garuda
|In front of the southern terrace stands a statue with the emblem of Phiman Swan
|Behind the middle terrace stands a statue with the emblem of a dragon holding a crystal in its mouth
|Behind the northern terrace stands a statue with the emblem of 33-head Elephant
|Behind the southern terrace stands a statue with the emblem of Phiman Conch
|King Chulalongkorn assigned Phraya Chai Wichit (Nak Na Pompetch) to renovate the pavilion in order to use it as Ayutthaya Hall in 1896. In 1904, the pavilion was used as the museum, and later in 1926, King Rama VII assigned Phraya Boran Ratchathanin to renovate it by the direction of the Royal Society. In this renovation, the pavilion was entirely demolished, and the ferroconcrete was laid on the same foundation. The pavilion structure was elevated 0.5 meter. The wall was built from the original wood, and the damaged statues on the tympanum were changed to carved wood patterns, which have existed up until today.
|Phimanrattaya Palace consisted of a group of buildings in the middle of the royal palace. They were built in the reign of King Rama VI according to the original foundation, and they were assumed to be completed in the reign of King Rama V. The buildings embraced the European architecture applied for Thai utilization. The buildings were built of bricks plastered with concrete and roofed with tiles. The basement was tall, and bricks were used to divide the rooms. There are 2 small buildings in parallel called Prad Left and Prad Right (Prad Khang Si Khang). In 1896, the palace was used as Ayutthaya Office.
|Sala Chern Krueang is located in the south of the Phimanrattaya Building Group. It embraced the European style and was roofed with tiles.
|Phisai Salaluck Building is a 4-story tower with the size of 15.80 meters x 17.00 meters, the height of which is 22 meters tall. The building is located on the rim of the wall in the southeast. It was assumed to be built for the first time in the reign of King Narai and crumbled down before the second fall of Ayutthaya. King Rama IV ordered it to be rebuilt on the same foundation and granted it the name Phisai Salaluck Building in which he used to stargaze. Later, when the area in Jankasem Palace was used as Ayutthaya Office, the building became an observatory tower and was equipment with alarms.
|The royal stable is a brick building plastered with concrete, the size of which is 6.00 meters x 17.00 meters. It is located on the rim of the wall in the northwest. The stable was built in the reign of King Rama IV. In the reign of King Rama V, Phraya Boran Ratchathanin used it as Ancient Museum.
|The theater has the Panya-shaped roof and is located in front of Jaturamuk Pavilion. At present, the theater has been demolished.
|Interior Building or Regional Building is an L-shaped building built of bricks plastered with concrete roofed with tiles. It is located near the palace wall in the west connected to the south. The building is 10.00 meters wide. The western side is 50.00 meters long, and the southern side is 65.00 meters long. It was built in the reign of King Rama VI when Phraya Boran Ratchathanin (Porn Dechakup) was the lord lieutenant of Ayutthaya Province. It was then used as the regional office until the administrative reform in 1932. After that, the building was used as the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, Office of the Auditor General, Provincial Cooperative Office and Office of the Comptroller General District 1 until 1993. After that, the building was returned to the office of Jankasem National Museum.
|Sua Pa Club Building is a one-story Panya-shaped brick building plastered with concrete roofed with tiles, the size of which is 11.20 meters x 20.00 meters. It is located in front of Phimanrattaya Palace and was built in the reign of King Mongkut and used for the assembly of Sue Pa group of Ayutthaya Province. Later, it became "Office of National Library"
|Carved Stone Terrace was originally a terrace roofed with tiles lying along the palace wall from the north to the east. It was used to house antiquities and artifacts collected and gathered by Phraya Boran Ratchathanin.
|In 1994, it was a pleasure that Jaturamuk Pavilion, Phisai Salaluck Building and Sua Pa Building received the award for excellent Thai architectural conservation from the Association of Siamese Architects conferred by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. It was an honor and pride of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province.