Earth Kingdom Royal Palace
From Avatar Wiki, the Avatar: The Last Airbender database
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| Physical Information | |
|---|---|
| Location |
Ba Sing Se; Upper Ring |
| Government | |
| Position |
Royal palace |
| Proprieter |
Earth King, formerly Azula, Joo Dee and Ozai |
| Administrator |
Earth Kingdom Government |
| First Appearance | |
The Earth Kingdom Royal Palace is the home of the Earth King and the seat of Earth Kingdom's government. The Earth King almost never leaves the safety of this walled compound. Located within the Upper Ring at the center of Ba Sing Se, the Palace and surrounding grounds are the spiritual and military center of the entire Earth Kingdom.
After the fall of Ba Sing Se to the Fire Nation, the palace was made home to Joo Dee, as the city's Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator. During "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into The Inferno", the Order of the White Lotus liberated Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation, and probably the Earth King rules the palace once again.
The Royal Palace is almost certainly the largest palace compound in the world; it contains dozens of buildings, shrines and halls. It also contains some of the largest structures in the world.
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[edit] Description
The palace is contained within a vast circular compound that is walled. It is structured around a meridian line that cuts through the center of the city, from West to East, and leads directly to the Earth King's throne. The Royal Palace itself is a tiered compound of towers, gardens, shrines, and courts that has been the home of the Earth Kings since the city was founded.
The Palace grounds are consisted primarily of numerous ceremonial temples, quarters to house the Kings servants, intricate gardens, and the King's menagerie of rare, exotic animals.
[edit] Front Gates
The Front Gates of the Palace Compound is an iconic symbol for the power of the Earth King within. Heavily fortified, the main route into the palace is covered on three sides by battlements and towers with double eaves. There are three large gates comprising the actual entrance to the Palace compound.
[edit] Main Building
The largest structure in the Palace and quite possibly one of the biggest in the world, the main building or "Royal Shrine" is situated at the center of the palace compound. Hundreds of steps lead up to its entrance, and the building has quadruple eaves and huge stone pillars holding up its roof. The building contains dozens, possibly hundreds of rooms for the Earth King and his wives and children. The exterior is primarily colored in shades of red and gold, while the interior is green. The main building also contains the Throne Room.
[edit] Throne Room
The Throne Room is located at the center of the palace, and is indeed the heart of the Earth Kingdom - not only is this where the Earth King holds his court, the throne is located at the physical center of Ba Sing Se. 18 large stone pillars run down the entire length of the hall, each topped with intricately painted brackets and supports a corbel from which hangs a large green lantern. Diaphanous curtains are hung throughout the hall to draw attention to the Earth King's throne, situated on a dais near the back of the room and accessed by nine stairs. The throne is surmounted by a massive stone Badgermole clutching the Earth Kingdom's emblem, and in front of a screen painted with scenes of deer, cranes, and mountains on a gold leaf background; above the throne is a large caisson, also colored in gold.
[edit] Tea Palace
The Tea Palace is an elegant tea room surrounded by lush gardens, and is where tea is brewed and served to the Earth King and his honored guests. This small wooden pavilion has a light and airy design, and features brightly painted beams and pillars; the Earth King, when visiting guests, sits on a low throne on top of a raised platform, complete with a small table for holding cups and two large metal urns. The decorative screen behind the Earth King's throne serves as a focal point for the room, and features a relaxing landscape of lofty, mist-shrouded peaks and pines.
[edit] Ba Sing Se Prison
In addition, the palace grounds contain the Ba Sing Se Prison, a maximum-security jail made entirely of solid metal in order to prevent Earthbenders from escaping. Long Feng claimed that he built the prison as a solution to the growing crime epidemic within Ba Sing Se and believes that the criminals it holds are a direct threat to the Earth King, but in reality, he uses the jail to imprison those who oppose him and the Dai Li and the criminals themselves are actually political prisoners punished for speaking the truth.
[edit] Palace Grounds
Located within the Upper Ring, at the center of Ba Sing Se, the Earth King's palace and surrounding grounds are the spiritual and military center of the entire Earth Kingdom. Here is where the Earth King spends all his days. In fact, he has never left the safety of his walled palace. The palace is structured around a meridian line that cuts through the center of the city, from West to East. The meridian line leads directly to the Earth King's throne. The grounds consist of numerous ceremonial temples, quarters to house the King's servants, elaborate gardens, and the King's menagerie of exotic animals. Common citizens are forbidden from entering the Earth King's walled domain, unless they have a personal invitation from the king.
[edit] History
The Earth Kingdom Royal Palace is situated over Old Ba Sing Se, which was an underground city. The old city was eventually abandoned in favor of the above-ground city.
The Earth King has been removed from the Palace at least once. In the last year of The War, Kuei was overthrown by Azula, and Ba Sing Se was captured by the Fire Nation. Joo Dee was installed in the palace as the "Supreme Administrator. The Palace and city were recaptured by the Order of the White Lotus.
[edit] Security
Only servants and the highest-ranking citizens of Ba Sing Se are allowed entry into the palace grounds, and even they are never permitted to enter the personal quarters of the Earth King. Common citizens are forbidden from entering the Earth King's walled domain, unless they receive a personal invitation from the King himself.
The Royal Palace and the Earth King are personally protected by the King's Guards, an elite force of guards who act as sentries against intruders. Though not on par with the Dai Li, their Earthbending ability allows them to send impressive stone projectiles from the palace towers, enabling them to easily crush any would-be invaders.
[edit] Trivia
- The Earth Kingdom Palace is based on the Forbidden City and other Chinese buildings and compounds.
