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The Rama VIII Bridge in Bangkok, Thailand, officially opened on September 20, 2002. The cable-stayed bridge consists of a single pylon located approximately one-third of the distance from the northwest end of the bridge. Golden suspension cables extend from this pylon to the road surface.

The Bridge is 2.45 km long including approach spans, and spans the Chao Phraya River. It is named after the eighth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, King Ananda Mahidol and is depicted on the back of the Series 15 20-baht banknote.

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Closer to the New Bagan, in the south-central end of Bagan, is the Dhammayazika with its unusual pentagonal chedi gilded in red & gold. One can experience magnificent views from its upper terrace, which receives fewer visitors than the temples closer to Old Bagan.

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Located on Mahachai Road, Wat Ratchanatdaram (temple) complex was built in the reign of King Rama III in 1846. Loha Prasat (“metal castle”), the temple’s main attraction, standing 36 metres high with 37 surrounding spires, is the only one of its kind left in the world. It was only recently completed.

The Prasat has 37 spires representing 37 Dharma of the Bodhipakya. The staircase is at the centre with large pillars to support the shell-wise winding stairs around the pillars to the lower floor and to the top floor where the Mondop stands in the middle. This application of winding stairs to this Prasat is a European technique adopted by Thai architects.

The significance of this Loha Prasat lies in the fact that it is the first of its kind in Thailand and the third in the world of Buddhism.

The staircase is constructed as a free-standing metal center column with thick wood treads cantilevered off it. You can choose to climb all five stories at once or get off at any level to explore. The stairway actually ends on the roof of the fourth tower.

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Phra Mondop (Library) houses Buddhist scriptures at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), Bangkok, Thailand.

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The Erawan Shrine was built in 1956 as part of the government-owned Erawan Hotel to eliminate the bad karma believed caused by laying the foundations on the wrong date. The hotel's construction was delayed by a series of mishaps, including cost overruns, injuries to laborers, and the loss of a shipload of Italian marble intended for the building. Furthermore, the Ratchaprasong Intersection had once been used to put criminals on public display.

An astrologer advised building the shrine to counter the negative influences. The Brahma statue was designed and built by the Department of Fine Arts and enshrined on 9 November 1956. The hotel's construction thereafter proceeded without further incident. In 1987, the hotel was demolished and the site used for the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.

The pictured dancers are hired by worshippers in return for seeing their prayers at the shrine answered.

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