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Krabi Prab Mueang Mara (Monkey Defeating the Demon Kingdom)
and Krabi Ranronrap (Monkey Subduing Ravana)
The prow of Krabi Prab Mueang Mara features Hanuman, the great white monkey
warrior in the epic of Ramayana while the figurehead of Krabi Ranronrap is
Nilapat, the black monkey warrior from the same story. Both characters
assisted Rama in defeating Ravana, the king of Lanka who ruled over demons.
Decoration techniques include gilded lacquer and mirrored glass.
It is believed that these two barges were first commissioned in the reign of
His Majesty King Buddha Yodfa Chulalok The Great but their names were not
mentioned in any document until the reign of His Majesty King Mongkut.
They were damaged by an air strike during the Second World War. In 1965,
the Royal Thai Navy and the Fine Arts Department restored these two barges
using the original prow.
Krabi Prab Mueang Mara is 28.85 metres long and 2.10 metres wide with the
depth at the hull of 56 centimetres. The length of Krabi Ranronrap is 28.30
metres and the width is 2.10 metres. Its depth at the hull is 56 centimetres.
The crew of each barge comprises one officer, two steersmen, 36 oarsmen,
one standard bearer, one signalman, two station markers and ten drummers.
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