This Castle Shrine
is currently a hexagonal brick and
mortar building. It houses the statue of
King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) standing
beside the seated statue of Queen
Sunandha Kumariratana, who is holding
Princess Kannabhorn Bejaratana on her
lap. Originally, this
area was a small earthen mound created
from the soil excavated during the
construction of a pond, known as
"Nuen Phra Nang" (The
Queen's Mound). Initially, there was
a small wooden shrine surrounded by a
barbed-wire fence. In 1937, when Suan
Sunandha became Suan Sunandha Wittayalai
School, student teachers receiving
provincial scholarships would offer
handmade flower garlands to pay respect
and request blessings before moving into
the dormitory at the start of each
semester, especially new students. In 1964, during
the tenure of Khunหญิง Khrongkaew
Pathumanon as Director of Suan Sunandha
Teachers College, a project was
initiated to dredge the pond and restore
the area. The original wooden shrine was
replaced with a single-room cement
shrine topped with a spire. An opening
ceremony and a worship ritual dedicated
to the royal spirit of Queen Sunandha
Kumariratana were organized,
establishing a tradition that has been
practiced annually ever since. By 1994, the
shrine had deteriorated over time. Mr.
Phon Kampang, then President of Suan
Sunandha Rajabhat Institute, initiated a
restoration to rebuild the shrine into a
larger three-room spired castle shrine.
It served as a revered sanctuary for
civil servants, students, and staff,
just as it had in the past, alongside
landscape improvements featuring a large
fountain that served as both a place of
worship and a leisure spot for
students. Later in 2013, during the
tenure of Associate Professor Dr.
Chuangchote Bhantuvech as President of
Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, the
castle shrine was renovated from a
traditional spirit shrine style into a
permanent building structure. It was
constructed as an octagonal building
decorated with stained glass bearing the
royal ciphers: "J.P.R." of
King Chulalongkorn (Rama V),
"B.P.R." of King Bhumibol
Adulyadej The Great (Rama IX),
"S.K.R." of Queen Sunandha
Kumariratana, and "S.S.P." of
Princess Saisavali Bhiromya. Statues of
all three royal personages were created
and enshrined to serve as the spiritual
anchor and object of veneration for the
Suan Sunandha community, alongside lush,
beautiful landscape renovations for
relaxation and worship.
