Bhubing Palace in Chiang Mai: Royal Architecture and Mountain Gardens

Bhubing Palace stands on Doi Buak Ha, four kilometres beyond Wat Phra That Doi Suthep on the mountain road above Chiang Mai. Its landscaped grounds bring together rose beds, shaded greenery and a reservoir.

A royal residence with a diplomatic role

Commissioned by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1961, Bhubing provided a base for northern visits and for receiving state guests. Construction took five months. King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark became its first royal guests in January 1962.

The main residence follows the Central Thai ruean mu, or grouped-house, tradition. Prince Samaichalerm Kridagara designed the plan; M. R. Mitrarun Kasemsri designed the elevations. Raised masonry construction, Thai roofs and a broad veranda adapt domestic forms for royal life. The upper level accommodated the royal household, with attendants below.

Ruen Rab Rong, the two-storey guesthouse, served the estate’s hospitality needs. It accommodated royal visitors and senior aides, and provided a waiting place for people attending royal audiences or banquets.

Private residences and experiments with timber

Phrueksa Wisuthikhun was a residence of the Princess Mother Srinagarindra, blending Northern and Central Thai styles. Siri Song Nakornbing and Payak Sathit are eucalyptus-log residences; the former was commissioned to explore that timber’s use in construction.

At Pha Mon, a teak pavilion replaced an earlier bamboo hut. The adjoining fern garden began in 1993, using indigenous ferns within the existing landscape.

A garden that became a rose-breeding centre

Suan Suwaree is the estate’s rose garden. Bhubing’s horticultural history extends from collecting roses to developing new varieties. Imported roses were being assembled at the estate from 1965. Its elevation above 1,300 metres provided a suitably cool climate, while the collection brought together different flower forms, growth habits and fragrances. The beds were arranged with attention to plant height, flower shape, colour and scent, so the collection served both botanical and landscape purposes.

In 2004, Queen Sirikit requested experiments in breeding new roses. Development work began in late 2006, selecting for large, many-petalled, fragrant flowers and fewer thorns. Breeders crossed chosen parents, grew the seedlings and tested promising plants, including by budding them onto vigorous wild-rose rootstocks. By 2012, seven new hybrids had passed selection. This history gives the rose gardens a scientific dimension: their diversity reflects years of propagation, comparison and selection as well as ornamental planting.

The landscape in a royal song

The gardens also inspired music. During a stay at Bhubing in 1966, Queen Sirikit was struck by the flower gardens and surrounding mountain scenery. She requested permission for new Thai lyrics to accompany a melody Bhumibol had composed in 1959. Thanphuying Mani Ratana Bunnag wrote the new lyrics for the song Ploen Bhubing, whose title can be rendered as “Enchanted at Bhubing.”

The melody had already appeared with other lyrics under the titles Fan and Somewhere Somehow. Its adaptation for Bhubing connected an existing royal composition with the particular landscape of the Chiang Mai residence, giving the gardens a place in the royal musical repertoire.

Water beneath the ornamental landscape

The reservoir is also part of the estate’s working infrastructure. Water supply has required substantial engineering: the Department of Groundwater Resources developed 26 wells, ranging from 10 to 310 metres deep, and two drinking-water treatment systems. This work supported research and development at the palace as well as staff water needs. Beneath the ornamental landscape is the practical task of supplying a mountain residence.

Bhubing and the wider highland story

Doi Pui Hmong village lies about three kilometres farther along the road beyond Bhubing. The proximity of the royal residence to highland communities also belongs to the history of the Royal Project. In 1969, Bhumibol visited Doi Pui and learned that villagers earned income from local peaches as well as opium. Kasetsart University’s nearby experimental station had already grafted larger-fruited peach varieties onto local rootstocks. He supported further research with 200,000 baht for additional land, helping establish the work from which the Royal Project developed.

This places Bhubing within a broader mountain history: alongside royal hospitality and ornamental horticulture were encounters with farming communities and experiments aimed at developing alternative crops and livelihoods.