King Khai Dinh Mausoleum

King Khai Dinh’s beautiful mausoleum in Hue

Hue has many mausoleums where kings, queens, and other royalty of the Nguyen dynasty are buried.
King Khai Dinh’s Mausoleum is considered the most famous for its unique architecture.

Located on a mountainside in Thuy Bang Commune, some 10 kilometers from Hue it was built between 1920 and 1931.

Somewhat smaller than the other mausoleums, the rectangular complex bears architectural motifs from the West, Hinduism, Buddhism, and so forth.

King Khai Dinh, who ascended to the throne in 1916 at 32, sent people to buy iron, steel, cement and Ardoise tiles in France, and ceramics and colored glass in China and Japan for his future mausoleum.

Thien Dinh Palace, which is at the top and is the main section of the complex, is also the most artistic part.

Its walls are painted blue and have a marble-like appearance.

Tens of thousands of pieces of ceramics and glass of various colors are inlaid on them to create thousands of lively images.

There are images of dragons among clouds on the ceilings of the three rooms at the heart of the palace.

Measuring dozens of square meters, they are also extremely artistic.

Visitors to the mausoleum will also be attracted by the magnificent landscape in its vicinity and the two lines of stone statues of mandarins attending court.

There are two life-sized copper statues of King Khai Dinh.

One of them, that of the king sitting on the throne, was made in Paris in 1920 by French sculptors P. Ducing and F. Barbedienne.

The other, of the king standing, was made by an artisan in Quang Nam Province.

There is also a statue of the king lying on a bed.

The Khai Dinh Mausoleum is an architectural work of great esthetic appeal and a must-see for people visiting Hue.

Source: TN

Tag: Hue , Nguyen Dynasty , Sculptors , Japan

King Khai Dinh’s beautiful mausoleum in Hue

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