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Royal Elephant National Museum
Dusit Palace, U Thong Nai Road, Bangkok 10300, Thailand Phone: 02 282 3336About
Royal Elephant National Museum (Changton National Museum), Uthong Nai Rd (near the National Assembly inside the Dusit Palace compound). 09:30-16:00 daily, hols closed. At the site that used to house the royal stables of the King's white elephants, since 1988 it is a museum about these extremely rare creatures. They are considered holy animals in Thailand, as a white elephant with six tusks appeared in a dream to Buddha's mother when she conceived her child. This museum tells you all about the history of white elephants in Thailand and the criteria an elephant must meet in order to be considered a "royal white" elephant. 5 baht. Elephants are considered to be some of the most important animals in Thai history; the sacred white elephants are the most important of all and one of the nation's most rare gems. Actually brown albinos, when white elephants are found they are immediately made property of the King. Belief considers them to be sacred beings and throughout their lives they are treated as such. Very expensive to keep, only one white elephant is currently kept inside the palace compound.
