7 huge bronze statues of previous Thai kings are seen in a large area on the outskirts of Hua Hin. The statues is placed in honor of the different generations of the Thai royal family, Kings that have had a special impact on the development of the country, not least militarily.
Besides the impressive statues you can also experience a small museum section with info material around the kings Merit, as well as general information about the Thai culture. For now most of the information is written in thai..
What a spectacular sight !
About the seven kings ..
King Ramkhamhaeng 1279-1298
Ruled in the Kingdom of Sukhothai which is fort runner for the modern kingdom of Thailand. His reign was one of the most successful eras in Thai history.
Ramkhamhaeng contributed among other things to the development of the Thai written language and alphabet, just as he was to cement Theravada Buddhism's status as the state religion in the kingdom.
King Naresuan 1590-1605
Was ruler of the ancient capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya. In 1592 he invaded the capital of the neighboring country of Myanmar (Burma). The army of Myanmar was at that time led by Prince Phra Maha Uparat, son of Myanmar's king.
Both King Naresuan and his opponent Phra Maha opponent led their armies forward by elephants and the big battle ended having the Burmese army as a loser and Phra Maha Uparat died during the fighting.
King Narai 1656-1688
Ruled in what is considered to be the golden era of Thai literature. The King himself had a great passion for literature and especially poetry from poets and writers such as Pra Horatibodi, Pra Maharajkru and Sriorachya, and in his reign he also contributed to a number of old, almost forgotten, Thai literary styles which were introduced again..
The capital Ayutthaya was during the reign of King Narai the center of international trade and people from all over the world came to town to trade items like spices, textiles, handicrafts, etc.
King Taksin 1767-1782
King Taksin was the founder of the new capital Krung Thonburi which was built on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in 1767. The reason for the founding of a new capital was that it had suffered two previous defeats to the Burmese army and had not managed to regain control of Ayutthaya.
Under King Taksin's leadership the Thai army withstood several coup attempts by rebel groups and King Taksin was thus helping to ensure stability in the country and also ensure unification of the Thai people.
King Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (RAMA I) 1782-1809
The founder of the Chakri dynasty and thus the ancestor of the current monarch, King Bhumibol.
After the king's coronation, he established Bangkok as the new capital on the east side of the Chao Phraya river. Here the king gained better opportunities for the the demographic development of the city and defense against military attack.
Before his coronation, the king was also known as the military man Thong Duang.
It was also under the reign of King Rama 1 that the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha was erected in Bangkok.
Each year on April 6 King Rama 1 is honored and celebrated at the Chakri Day.
King Mongkut (Rama IV) 1851-1868
This king's reign is considered to be "Thailand's Technology and Science era" as it was under King Mongkut that Thailand opened up to western advances in technology and science. Thus the King is also recognized especially for the work he did for the modernization of the former kingdom of Siam.
King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) 1868-1910
Accrediting for his good diplomatic skills and nose for foreign policy that despite several attempts made Thailand able to withstand foreign occupation and colonization. Moreover King Mongkut mourned for a peaceful end to slavery in Thailand.
Every year on October 23, the King Chulalongkorn Day is celebrated in Thailand. The day is a national holiday.
Location: Just in the outskirts of Takiab Beach approximately 10 km from central Hua Hin.