Thailand: A statue of Queen Sunantha Kumarirat next to the Phlio Waterfall, Nam Tok Phlio (Phliw) National Park, Chanthaburi Province

Sunandha Kumariratana (Thai: สุนันทากุมารีรัตน์; RTGS: Sunantha Kumarirat, 10 November 1860 – 31 May 1880) was a daughter of King Mongkut (Rama IV) and Princess Consort Piam. She was a half-sister and the first queen consort (พระบรมราชเทวี) and one of four queens of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), two of which were her full-sibling younger sisters, Queen Savang Vadhana and Queen Saovabha Bhongsi.

The queen and her daughter drowned when the royal boat capsized while on the way to the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace (Summer palace). Despite the presence of many onlookers, they were forbidden on pain of death to touch the queen – not even to save her life. The grief-stricken Chulalongkorn later erected a memorial to her and his unborn child at the Bang Pa-In Palace.

Namtok Phlio National Park was designated a national park in 1975 and originally called Khao Sa Bap National Park. It covers an area of 135-sq km (52-sq miles) and contains some of Thailand's lushest rainforest. Wildlife within the park includes 32 species of mammals and 156 species of birds. Barking deer, tiger, leopard and Asiatic black bear are among its larger inhabitants.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia