One of the more elegant structures on the Upper Terraces in the Grand Palace was the Prasat Phra Dhepbidorn, quite a mouthful, or the Royal Pantheon. The Royal Pantheon is where statues of the past rulers of Thailand are enshrined. The current dynasty is the Chakri dynasty and the current ruler is King Bhumibol Adulyadej also known as King Rama IX. Thailand is ruled by a constitutional monarchy with the king as the head of state.
The king of Thailand is widely respected and revered throughout the country that speaking against the king is a punishable offense. However, there is really little to complain about the king anyway. He is seen as a benevolent and fatherly figure for the entire country. To date, the current King Rama IX is the world longest reigning monarch having reigned from 1946.
The monarchy of Thailand has a rich and colorful history and is worth reading up on. Throughout the years, the Thai monarchy itself has undergone tremendous transformations. Among them, the abolition of kneeling in front of the king and the relinquishing of absolute authority. Despite that, the Thai king still hold tremendous influence in the daily affairs of the nation despite not having full authority. Any political movements will need the approval of the Thai king in order to succeed as can be seen in the recent events in the tit-for-tat demonstrations in Thailand.
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