article_snippet: Consider Bangkok's gold-spired Grand Palace, where Thai kings lived for 150 years, and where 8 million annual visitors now traipse through ornate rooms, manicured gardens and temples, including one that houses a revered Buddha carved from a single block of jade.
article_snippet: No. 3 Grand Palace, BangkokAnnual Visitors: 8,000,000 .
article_snippet: Royal offices are still used within the Grand Palace, and state visits and royal ceremonies like the Royal Birthday Anniversary of the current King Bhumibol Adulyadej are held there each year.
article_snippet: This was also the official residence of Thai kings from 1782 to 1925 and counts numerous buildings, halls and pavilions set around open lawns and manicured gardens.
article_snippet: the Grand Palace's Temple of the Emerald Buddha is considered one of the most sacred sites in Thailand.
article_snippet: the Emerald Buddha was carved from a single block of jade, and the Emerald Buddha garments, made of pure gold, are changed in a royal ceremony three times a year to reflect the Thai seasons.
article_snippet: Thailand Tourist Services .