Arts & Culture

Thailand is rightly proud of its rich heritage of arts and culture, and have made it readily accessible to the country’s many visitors.
Cultural PrideThe Grand Palace illustrates the splendor of royalty, and the golden stupas of adjoining Wat Phra Kaew symbolize Thailand’s religious pride. This temple houses the nation’s most revered Buddha image, the Emerald Buddha; dress respectfully and bring your passport. Temples are works of art, and worth seeing are the 46m reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, the imposing 82m tower of Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), and Wat Benjamabophit, a marble masterpiece built in the reign of King Rama V.
Art on DisplayBangkok’s National Museum, open Wed.–Sun., 9am–4pm, displays relics of early civilization and Thai art from the Sukhothai period onwards. The nearby National Gallery exhibits traditional and contemporary works. The Royal Barges Museum on the Chao Phraya River, open 9am-4pm daily, shelters magnificently carved and painted barges used in royal river processions since the early 1900s; the longest measures 50 meters.
Dinner, Dance, DramaNext door to the National Museum, the National Theater holds classical Thai dance and drama performances most weekends, as does the air-conditioned Chalermkrung Theater (New Rd), twice weekly at 8pm. Restaurants such as Baan Thai (Sukhumvit Rd), Maneeya Lotus Room (Ploenchit Rd) and the Oriental Hotel’s riverside Sala Rim Nam offer excellent dinners accompanied by Thai dance shows.
Box CarefullyThai boxing, Muay Thai, is held at Rajadamnoen Stadium on Rajadamnoen Nok Rd (Mon, Wed, Thur, Sun) and Lumphini Stadium on Rama IV Rd (Tue, Fri, Sat). Go in the evenings, not to the staged afternoon shows, and buy tickets from the booths, not from touts.Reference : http://www.circleofasia.com/Arts-and-Culture-Thailand.htm