A northern house lintel with floral motifs. The magic spirit that resides in this lintel is believed to protect the fertility of the couple that sleeps within the room.
Though the Central Plains house is considered the classic Thai house style, the northern Thai house has a distinctive form with three key features that distinguish it from that of the Central Plains. The most visible of these is the V-shaped design called the kalae that caps the apex of the roof gable. The exact origins of the kalae remain obscure, but the name has been translated as 'glancing crows'. In some houses, the kalae is carved in a manner that resembles the wings of a bird in flight. It is also believed by some that the kalae symbolizes a pair of buffalo horns. Generally, kalae are found only in upper-class houses, and the design may be derived from the ancient practice of placing buffalo horns on top of the roof to indicate the wealth of the inhabitants. Kalae carvings range from simple to ornate, and in more prosperous homes, their elaborate renderings can resemble feathers or flickering flames.
Outward sloping walls are the next visible characteristic of northern houses, and the third characteristic is the carved lintel above the owner's bedroom door. Called ham yon, which means 'magic testicles' in ancient northern language, the lintel indicates the bedroom's symbolism as the core of the household. The size of the lintel always corresponds to the length of the owner's foot. Before the lintel is carved, the homeowner must perform a ceremony inviting magical power to enter the lintel, thus ensuring the fertility of the couple. The designs on the lintel are usually floral, geometric or cloud motifs.
Instead of the steep gabled roofs of Central Thai houses, the roofs of northern houses are topped with V-shaped carvings called kalae. The origins of this design remain obscure, but there are three main types: the first is an extension of the bargeboards (as here), the second makes use of wider planks of wood which were carved into a triple curve, and the third style is an attachment in the form of an X, rather than an extension.
Traditionally, house-building was an event accompanied by numerous rites and rituals that involved the participation of the whole community. Astrologers and monks were consulted and various ceremonies performed. Also, Thais believe that if a house is suitable for humans, it is also suitable for the spirits of the land, so every household sets aside a corner in the compound for a spirit house where the guardian spirit is invited to live. Thus through the house, the building rituals and the miniature spirit house, the owner of the traditional Thai house was linked to both his community and the spirits of the land.
M.R. Kukrit Pramoj Home
M.R. Kukrit was a keen amateur botanist. The chan-ban verandah displays a famed collection of Thai miniature trees known as mai dat.
The residence of former Thai Prime Minister M.R. Kukrit Pramoj, though now open to the public as a museum, is notable in that up until 1995 it was the home of a living person and, as such, represented the way of life of upper class Thai society that has all but died out today. The house stands on a 6,700 sq-m (two-acre) site that was once a mango orchard, but now lies in the heart of what has become Bangkok's business and financial district.
The residence is comprised of five separate single-room teak houses from the central plains of Thailand, three of which are over 100 years old, all connected on the raised chan-ban verandah, with an open living space underneath. M.R. Kukrit brought these houses from separate locations at different times, and in the tradition of Thai architecture, had them dismantled, transported, and reassembled in their present location. The first house was acquired in 1960 and the house building process took 20 years to reach its present state of perfection. Each of the five single houses that comprises the upper rooms had specific functions: they include an official reception room, a small private sitting room, a family shrine, a library and the bedroom. The ground-floor space was used as the in formal living and dining area, and also contains a meeting room.
M.R. Kukrit directed the building layout himself, and lived according to the old Thai way of life, but with some allowances for modern conveniences such as air conditioning, and a fully equipped modern bathroom. These amenities were integrated into the building without interfering with the appearance of the classic exterior, so successfully that even the air-conditioned ground floor looks like the open space traditionally found underneath Thai houses. True to Thai form, these rooms were used as gathering and dining places, while the upper rooms were the private living quarters and reception rooms.
The highlight of the formal reception room is an antique bed that is believed to have belonged to King Rama II. The family liked to believe that this daybed is where Rama II, an accomplished poet, used to compose his masterpieces. Ornately carved display cabinets contain a very rare collection of exquisite puppet heads which are family heirlooms from the period of Rama V's reign.
The table in M.R. Kukrit's library was once used for secret political discussions during his term as Prime Minister. The Thai display cabinet contains manuscripts of old rare books, photographs and notes from royalty, and photos of ancestors. On top of the cabinet is a very rare statue of Biravana, the Hindu demon god of dance, to whom MR Kukrit would pay homage in a grand annual ceremony.
The Buddha room includes a reliquary that contains part of M.R. Kukrit's ashes. Most of the figures in this room were gifts to M.R. Kukrit, who built this room specially to house them.
M.R. Kukrit was a reknowned patron of Thai classical dance. The large pavilion hall displays a fine collection of khon masks worn in Thai classical dance drama performances. The soft facial expressions on some of the masks indicate the craftsman-ship of a master mask maker from the reign of Rama VI. The masks depicting human faces are very rare; they date from the early Ratanakosin period when all the dancers, even the human characters, wore masks.
As the residence of a prominent member of a princely family, politician, author, patron of the arts and an important public opinion leader, M.R. Kukrit's home was the site of numerous public functions and visits from foreign dignitaries and important figures in politics and society. A large pavilion hall was added in the later years of the owner's life to accommodate the various receptions, banquets, dance performances and religious ceremonies that M.R. Kukrit often hosted. The pavilion is connected to the residence by a formal walled garden, creating the impression of a unified living compound. The garden contains a famed collection of exquisite Thai miniature trees, or mai dat, and a miniature mountain, or kao mar, as well as a number of rare plants whose cultivation was personally supervised by M.R. Kukrit, a keen amateur botanist.
The sitting area of M.R. Kukrit Pramoj's bedroom has been left untouched in the way he lived in it during his lifetime. This is the room where he relaxed, listened to the radio, watched television and held a small nightly feast with his beloved dogs. To the right, a set of altar tables comprise a small personal shrine for a Buddha figure where MR Kukrit prayed every day.
The antechamber of the bedroom houses typical 19th-century carved furniture, but the slatted walls are a departure from the typical vertical panelling found in