| Lumphini Park | |
| Type: | Urban Park |
| Location: | Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok |
| Coordinates: | 13.7306°N 100.5417°W |
| Area: | 142acres |
| Operator: | Bangkok Metropolitan Administration |
| Visitation Num: | about 10,000 - 15,000 people a day |
| Status: | Open daily from 4.30 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. |
Lumphini Park (Thai: สวนลุมพินี,, in Thai pronounced as /sǔan lūm.pʰī.nīː/), also Lumpini or Lumpinee, is a 360 rai (57.6ha) park in Bangkok, Thailand. The park offers rare open public space, trees and playgrounds in the Thai capital and contains an artificial lake where visitors can rent boats. Paths around the park totalling approximately 2.5 km in length are a popular area for morning and evening joggers. Officially, cycling is only permitted during the day between the times of 10:00 am to 03:00 pm. There is a smoking ban throughout the park. Dogs are not allowed, except certified guide dogs only. Lumphini Park is regarded as the first public park in Bangkok and Thailand.[1]
The 360 rai (about 57 hectares) plot of land, formerly known as Thung Sala Daeng ('Sala Daeng Feild', now Sala Daeng Intersection), was the private property of King Rama VI. In 1925, the king donated the land to the nation to be used as a fair ground. The Siamrat Phiphitthaphan Trade Fair was held here to promote Thai commodities and industrial productions among Thais and foreigners. After the fair, the king had a will to turn the land into a public park which was given the name Lumphini. It was named after Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal for the prosperity, although its location at that time was considered the outskirts of the city. The construction was not finished yet, the king died first, but the construction continues until complete. In World War II the park was a Japanese Army camp. At the entrance in front of the park, the royal monument of the king was built for his memorial, inside the park, there are a clock tower of Chinese styled structure built in 1925, a public library which was the first one in the country, a public aquarium, children's play ground, sporting ground, and large swimming pool. It is a public park full of varieties of plants and suitable for recreational.[2] [3]
Today, it lies in the heart of the main business district and is in the Lumphini sub-district, on the north side of Rama IV Road, between Ratchadamri Road and Witthayu Road.[4]
In addition, it is also connected to another public park, Benjakitti Park in Khlong Toei District, by means of the National Sports Development Fund-Sports Authority of Thailand (NSDF-SAT) Park, a 1.3 km elevated pedestrian walkway and bicycle lane at the corner of Sarasin Intersection where Witthayu Road cuts Sarasin Road.[5]
thumb|left|Lumphini Park Library
Lumphini Park is a multi-purpose park. Many activities are provided for citizens and tourists. The park is a green area. There are trees, flowers, lakes and animals.
The park has Bangkok's first public library and dance hall. During winter, the Palm Garden of Lumphini Park becomes the site for the annual Concert in the Park featuring classical music by the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and other bands.
Lumphini Park has been used as a rally ground for right-wing political gatherings. In 2006 the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protested in the park against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In 2013-2014 the park became one of the main protest sites of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.[7]
Lumphini Park is close to Sala Daeng Station on the BTS Skytrain's Silom Line, as well as Lumphini and Si Lom stations on the MRT Blue Line. The park is served by BMTA buses No. 4, 13, 14, 15, 17, 22, 45, 46, 47, 50, 62, 67, 74, 76, 77, 89, 109, 115, 116, 141, 149, 164, 173, 505, 507, 514, and 547.