Siwamokkhaphiman Hall
Siwamokkhaphiman Hall was built at the first stage of the Front Palace construction, by order of H.R.H. Prince Maha Surasinghanat, the vice king during the reign of King Rama I, to serve as a stateroom for giving an audience to officials as well as hosting religious ceremonies. Initially, it was a smaller wooden pavilion without walls which was later dismantled by order of H.R.H. Prince Maha Sakdipolasep, King Rama III’s vice king, who replaced it with a larger plastered brick structure with a wooden roof which was imitated from the old one, i.e., low hanging roof with deep eaves running all around to prevent the penetration of direct sunlight and rain. Later, walls and a porch were built into this hall by the time it was converted into the ‘Royal Museum’ in 1887 during King Rama V’s reign. Then, in the time of King Rama VII, it was modified for use as the Royal Library where historic documents and ancient stone inscriptions were kept. At that time, a high pitched gable roof was added to the porch, as it looks like now.