Model of Angkor Wat

The model of Angkor Wat commissioned by Rama IV

In addition to the Royal Pantheon and the Phra Si Ratana Chedi, Rama IV also commissioned a model of the Angkor Wat temple in modern day Cambodia. At the time, about half of Cambodia was a vassal state of Siam, and the king wanted to show the people the grandeur that was under Thai rule. As it turned out, his successor, Rama V, was forced to allow the French to occupy Indochina in order to preserve Siamese independence.

The small shrine next to the model is one of several memorials to various kings of the Chakri dynasty. The bronze elephants around the memorials are also 'shrines' of a sort to the various white elephants who served the Chakri kings.

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