Thai King to be crowned in coronation ceremonies May 4-6 - palace

 

FILE PHOTO: Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn attends the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony in central Bangkok, Thailand, May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's king is to be officially crowned in coronation ceremonies held May 4-6, the royal palace said in a statement on Tuesday.

 

King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 66, has been serving as monarch since shortly after his father died in 2016 after a 70-year reign.

 

"His Majesty deems it fit to hold the coronation ceremony per royal traditions for the good fortune of the nation and the kingdom, to be enjoyed by the hopeful people," the statement said.

 

His official coronation has been delayed until after a period of mourning for his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was revered as a semi-divine figure in Thailand.

 

(Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Stephen Coates)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-01

King’s coronation set for May

By THE NATION

 

King Maha Vajiralongkorn // AFP PHOTO

 

Command issued for three day ceremony in keeping with royal tradition.
 

HIS MAJESTY KING Maha Vajiralongkorn has issued a command to hold a three-day coronation ceremony in early May, the Royal Household Bureau announced yesterday.

 

The coronation is scheduled for May 4, when the King will make a public appearance before a gathering of the Royal Family, privy councillors, Cabinet members and senior public officials who will offer their good wishes, according to the announcement. 

 

On the following day, a ceremony is scheduled to bestow the royal name on the newly crowned King, in line with the traditions governing the monarchy. On the same day, certain members of the Royal Family will be bestowed new titles to reflect their relationship with King Rama X.

 

On May 6, the King will hold a grand audience with members of the public and foreign diplomats in the Grand Palace.

 

“The King views this as a suitable time to hold the coronation in accordance with tradition and for national celebration and the joy of the people and the Kingdom,” the bureau said in its announcement.

 

 

Television Pool of Thailand broadcasted the bureau’s announcement to the nation around noon yesterday.

 

The monarch’s late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), was crowned on May 5, 1950, at the age of 22.

 

Following the passing of King Bhumibol on October 13, 2016, the president of the National Legislative Assembly invited then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to the throne, at the instruction of the Cabinet.

 

King Bhumibol was crowned in a traditional ceremony held at the Grand Palace. It was the first coronation ceremony of a Thai sovereign to rule under the constitutional monarchy system. May 5 was celebrated as Coronation Day with a public holiday until 2017. 

 

His Majesty the King, 66, is the only son of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. A year’s mourning following the passing of King Rama IX resulted in a postponement of the coronation ceremony, although the current monarch’s reign officially began on October 13, 2016, upon his father’s departure.

 

Also yesterday, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha led a group of Cabinet members to write messages for the New Year in honour of His Majesty the King at the Grand Palace. The prime minister was accompanied by his wife, Associate Professor Naraporn.

 

High-ranking military commanders were also present there to write their good wishes for the King on the occasion of the New Year.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30361453

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-02

Coronation Committee to be formed : PM

By The Nation

 

 

The prime minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, on Wednesday will set up a committee to oversee the coronation ceremony of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn set for early May.

 

He said he would chair the panel and invite HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn as the honorary adviser to prepare the ceremony.

 

The Royal Household Bureau on Tuesday announced that the coronation ceremony will be held between May 4 and May 6.

 

Prayut said: “This is an important opportunity for the government to join hands with the Thai public to prepare the ceremony in his honour and according to the customs and culture.” 

 

When the King took the throne in 2017, the government prepared the ceremony internally. The bureau said that on May 4 the King would appear before the Royal Family, privy councillors, Cabinet members and civil servants who will offer their good wishes.

 

On the following day, a ceremony is scheduled to bestow a royal name on the newly crowned king. On the same day, other royals will be bestowed with new titles to reflect their relationship with King Rama X.

 

On May 6, the King will hold a grand audience with members of the public and foreign diplomats in the Grand Palace. “The King views this as a suitable time to hold the coronation in accordance with tradition and for national celebration and the joy of the people and the Kingdom,” the bureau said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30361476

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-02

Princess to oversee coronation

By The Nation

 

File photo: HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. // AFP PHOTO

 

THE GOVERNMENT will call on Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to chair a government-appointed committee to oversee preparations for the coronation ceremony of her brother, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, set for early May, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.

 

THE GOVERNMENT will call on Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to chair a government-appointed committee to oversee preparations for the coronation ceremony of her brother, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, set for early May, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.

 

He was speaking in a special televised programme announcing preparations for the three-day coronation ceremony from May 4 to 6. 

 

Prayut also said that Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has been given the job of chief organiser for the event. The prime minister’s announcement came after the Royal Household Bureau officially declared the coronation date on Tuesday. His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn took the throne after his father, King Rama IX, passed away on October 13, 2016. 

 

“This is an important opportunity for the government to join hands with the public to prepare for the ceremony in the King’s honour that is in accordance with our customs and culture,” the PM said. 

 

He added that the panel will be in charge of events before, during and after the ceremony. 

 

Since the King ascended the throne in 2016, the government has been making preparations for the coronation ceremony pending official announcement. 

 

The Royal Household Bureau announced that the newly crowned King will appear before the Royal Family, privy councillors, Cabinet members and civil servants on May 4 to receive their good wishes. The following day, a ceremony will be held to bestow a royal name on the King, and on the same day, other Royals will be bequeathed with new titles reflecting their relationship with King Rama X. 

 

On May 6, the King will grant an audience to members of the public and foreign diplomats in the Grand Palace. 

 

“The King views this as a suitable time for the coronation in accordance with tradition. It will be a national celebration and bring joy to the people and the Kingdom,” the bureau said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30361518

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-03

Provincial survey carried out prior to determining principal sources of sacred water for King’s coronation

By THE NATION

 

The water from four ancient ponds of Suphanburi known as Sra Ket, Sra Kaew, Sra Ganga and Sra Yamuna.

 

MORE THAN 100 water sources in 76 provinces have been surveyed for a careful selection process to determine the principal sources of sacred water to be used in the elaborate “Rachaphisek” coronation rite for King Maha Vajiralongkorn on May 4-6.
 

Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda yesterday said he had instructed officials in the provinces to survey 107 water sources in order to select the principal sources for sacred water and to carry out landscaping arrangements for the rite.

 

“Abhisek” sacred water will be collected from each chosen source in accordance with ancient tradition, he said.

 

In coronation rites for King Rama I to Rama IV, the water used in the purification bath of the King on the morning of coronation day was collected from six principal sources, in line with the tradition of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. 

 

The water from four ancient ponds of Suphanburi known as Sra Ket, Sra Kaew, Sra Ganga and Sra Yamuna was

counted as one source combined with those from the “Benjasuthiganga” five principle rivers in the Kingdom.

 

These were the Phetchaburi River (collected in tambon Tha Chai of Phetchanburi’s Muang district), the Ratchaburi River (collected from tambon Dawadeung in Samut Songkhram’s Muang district), the Chao Phraya River (collected from tambon Bang Kaew in Ang Thong’s Muang district), the Pa Sak River (collected from tambon Tha Rap in Sara Buri’s Muang district), and the Bang Pakong River (collected from Phra Ajarn Pond in Nakhon Nayok’s Muang district).

 

Later, the second coronation rite (after leaving monkhood) for King Rama V in 1873 added water from another five sources in India known as “Panjamahanathee” – the five ancient Indian rivers of the Ganges (Ganga), the Mahi, the Yamuna, the Sarayu and the Achiravati.

 

That brought the number of water sources used in the coronation rites to 11. 

 

King Rama VI’s first coronation rite used the same 11 water sources and his second coronation rite used the “Abhisek” sacred water consecrated at 17 sites. 

 

The 17 sites included 10 important Buddhist temples across the country such as Wat Borommathat of Chai Nat, Wat Mahathat of Phetchabun, Wat Klang of Nakhon Ratchasima, Wat Sothon of Chacherngsao, Wat Thong of Phuket and Wat Phrathat Chaiya of Chumphon.

 

The coronation rites for King Rama VII and King Rama IX used sacred water anointed at 18 sites.

 

The rite for King Rama VII had added Bung Phra Lanchai in Roi Et to the existing 17 sites and shifted from Wat Mahathat of Phetchabun to use Phra That Cho Hae of Phrae instead.

 

The rite for King Rama IX maintained the number of 18 sites but shifted from Phra That Chor Hae to use Phra That Chae Haeng of Nan instead.

 

The consecrated water from each source will be sent to Bangkok before the coronation ceremonies and enshrined at the Ubosot of Wat Phra Kaew until the rite.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362741

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-23

 

HRH stresses the need for coronation water to be screened for cleanliness

By The Nation

 

 

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has suggested that the water collected for use in the coronation in May be screened for purity as it will be used in the blessed ceremony.

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said the Princess had noted that the screening and other essential procedures of the holy water needed to be implemented carefully.

 

In accordance with longstanding tradition, the sacred water will be used to anoint His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn as the new monarch during the three-day coronation, starting on May 4.

 

Searching for the water sources from around the country has already started.

 

 

After chairing a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Prayut said that all the holy water would be gathered and entered at a ceremony on April 18-19 at Suthat Thepwararam Rachaworamaha Viharn Temple.

 

The Royal Household Bureau earlier this month announced that the coronation for His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn would be held from May 4 to 6. 

 

Prayut also said yesterday that May 6 would be a public holiday in order to help facilitate the staging of the event.

 

The King deems it appropriate that the ceremony be conducted in accordance with royal traditions and for the joy of the people and the Kingdom on this auspicious occasion of the country.

 

On May 4, the King will grant a grand audience to members of the Royal Family, the Privy Council and the Cabinet, as well as senior officials.

 

The following day, there will be a ceremony to bestow the royal name of the King and the new titles to members of the Royal Family.

 

Later, the King will travel on a royal land procession and on May 6 he will appear on a balcony of Sutthaisawan Prasat Hall in the Grand Palace to grant a grand public audience to the general public, so that they may offer their best wishes to His Majesty.

 

He will later grant an audience to members of the international diplomatic corps, who will offer their felicitations on this special occasion at Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30363175

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-30

Final Day Of King’s Coronation Declared National Holiday

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

 

A file photo of King Vajiralongkorn.

 

BANGKOK — The final day of His Majesty the King’s three-day coronation ceremony will be observed as a national holiday.

 

The interim cabinet Monday declared that May 6 will be a national holiday, effectively resuming a holiday that had been celebrated on May 5 since King Bhumibol, the monarch’s father, ascended to the throne that day in 1950.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2019/01/30/final-day-of-kings-coronation-declared-national-holiday/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2019-01-30

Second meeting of coronation PR committee

 

   

BANGKOK, 5th February 2019 (NNT) - Deputy Prime Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikulya today chaired the second meeting of the government-appointed committee tasked with informing the Thai public about preparations for the coronation ceremony of HM King Rama X.

 

The meeting took place at the Public Relations Department (PRD) headquarters on Soi Ari in Bangkok.

 

The Royal Coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun will be held on May 4th-6th, 2019.

 

The Bureau of the Royal Household, announced last week the timeline for all royal ceremonies preceding HM King Vajiralongkorn’s official crowning on May 4th. The schedule begins in April with events to take place across the country.

 

On April 6th, rituals accompanying the drawing of holy water will be conducted. Hindu Brahmins will make offerings in Bangkok and 76 provinces to the spirits of selected water sources where water will be collected for later use. On the 8th, monks will ritually consecrate the water and light auspicious candles in honor of the king at provincial royal temples. On April 9th, auspicious candles will be extinguished and ritual Buddhist processions conducted around the temples. On April 22nd and 23rd, HM the King’s name will be engraved into a golden plate, along with the creation of a royal seal.

 

On May 2nd, His Majesty will pay his respects to previous monarchs and the capital’s spirits in the Royal Plaza and at the Memorial Bridge. His Majesty will pay his respects to the Emerald Buddha and royal remains on May 3rd.

 

The official coronation ceremony will be held on May 4th. On May 5th, the inauguration of the King’s official name and signature, the re-establishment of the royal family members’ ranks, and a royal parade will be held in the capital city. And on May 6th, His Majesty will hold an audience for the public and foreign diplomats who will offer their felicitations on this special occasion at Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall.

 

-- nnt 2019-02-05

Culture Ministry launches book on King’s Coronation

By The Nation

 

Nation/Vorawit Pumpuang

 

The Culture Ministry launched the book “The Royal Coronation Ceremony” at Government House on Monday.

 

“As The Royal Coronation Ceremony of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn will be held from May 4-6 in Bangkok, the government is publishing this book to promote this historic ceremony, which has been passed down from the early Rattanakosin era to the present King Rama X,” said Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam, who has overseen the project.

 

The book chronicles past coronation ceremonies, speeches of monarchs from King Rama I to Rama IX on the occasion of their coronations, the special equipment to be used in the ceremony, plus an insight into Buddhist and Hindu beliefs behind the auspicious event. 

 

The book also features rare photographs of coronations from King Rama IV to King Rama IX.

 

The Culture Ministry will distribute 2,000 copies of hard-cover coffee-table books (1,000 copies in Thai and another 1,000 English-language versions) to schools and libraries through the Kingdom. 

 

The government, meanwhile, will also distribute another 3,000 brief-version books to schools across the country.

 

An e-book can also be downloaded at www.m-culture.go.th. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30364744

 

 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-26

The crowning of a King

By Khetsirin Pholdhampalit 
The Nation Weekend

 

The chief Brahmin offered King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) the Great Crown of Victory during his coronation ceremony on May 5, 1950.

 

Historians explain the intricate and symbolic ceremonies for the coronation of His Majesty King Rama X

 

ALMOST 70 YEARS have passed since the coronation ceremony of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) in May, 1950. The ancient traditional practice to formally complete the accession to the throne of the current monarch, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), will take place this May following more than two years of mourning of the passing of King Bhumibol, in October, 2016.

 

Monarchs of the Chakri Dynasty, Kings Rama IV, V, VI, VII and IX, are pictured from left

 

King Maha Vajiralongkorn took the throne after his father passed away and the National Legislative Assembly acknowledged his accession in November 2016, making him the 10th King of the Chakri Dynasty, meaning that the succession is officially anointed by law, but not by the royal traditional customs that have been practised for hundreds of years.

 

King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) at his coronation ceremony in May, 1950

 

The three-day coronation ceremony from May 4 to 6 requires comprehensive procedures that are intricate, complicated and full of symbolic meanings according to Hinduism and Buddhism. To provide knowledge and understanding of the historic ceremony and the procedures, the Culture Ministry is releasing a set of four books for distribution to libraries and schools nationwide and which are also available through e-book platforms for free download at www.m-culture.go.th.

 

The first hardcover book “The Royal Coronation Ceremony” comes in two versions, Thai and English, and tracks the history of the coronation ceremony, the preparations and the elements used to anoint the kingship. The second paperback “A Collection of Knowledge on the Royal Coronation Ceremony” in Thai gives details of the procedures and sacred sites used to hold the ceremony. 

 

The Culture Ministry releases a set of four books on the history and the details of procedures of the coronation ceremony that can also be downloaded for free.

 

The last paperback “A Collection of Articles about the Royal Coronation Ceremony” in Thai compiles old articles written by such scholars as Prince Damrong Rajanubhab and Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongse about the regal vestments, the royal regalia and the coronation ceremonies from the reigns of Kings Rama II and V.

 

“After founding the Chakri Dynasty and the city of Bangkok in 1782, King Rama I re-examined the collective records of the coronation ceremony held during the late Ayutthaya period, resulting in a revised procedure for the ceremony that has become the prototype of the traditional rites for accession ever since,” said deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam at the book launch held at the Government House on Monday.

 

The paperback “A Collection of Knowledge on the Royal Coronation Ceremony” in Thai

 

Eleven coronation ceremonies have been held during the reigns of the nine Kings of the Chakri Dynasty. Kings Rama I, V and VI performed the ceremonies twice, while King Rama VIII unfortunately passed away before being crowned.

 

The first abbreviated coronation ceremony of King Rama I was held in 1782 shortly after he established the Rattankosin Era. A full-scale affair, took place three years later when the construction of several throne halls and the making of the royal regalia were completed.

 

King Rama V held the coronation ceremony twice, in 1868 and again in 1873.

 

King Rama V performed the first one at the young age of 15, and again when reaching maturity at the age of 20. King Rama VI was first crowned with simplified rituals, shortly after the passing of his father, King Rama V, and then later in a full-scale event with the participation of foreign royals.

 

“In the upcoming coronation ceremony, May 4 is the most important day because it’s when His Majesty attends Song Phra Muratha Bhisek (the purification bath) and Abhisek (the royal anointment) as well as being presented with the crown and the royal regalia including the nine-tiered white umbrella (the most important symbol of the supreme sovereign),” Wissanu explained.

 

“Though in many countries, the act of bestowal of a crown is the heart of the ceremony, the key procedure in Thai traditional practice, which draws on Indian precepts, focuses on the purification bath and the anointment with sacred water,” he added.

 

May 5, 1950: King Bhumibol waited within a pavillion ready to participate in the purification bathing ceremony.

 

Thai monarchs are highly revered as divine Kings – a tradition influenced by Hinduism. According to the ancient Brahmanism textbook, the sacred water for the purification bath and anointment rites must come from Pancha Maha Natee or five main streams in India, namely the Ganga, Mahi, Yamuna, Aciravati and Sarabhu Rivers. These rivers flow down from Mount Kailash that is considered in Hinduism the physical embodiment of Mount Sumeru – the epicentre of the universe and the abode of Shiva. 

 

“In the late Ayutthaya period, five local principle rivers collectively called Bencha Suttha Khongkha were used to represent the five main streams in India. The five sources were Bang Pakong, Pasak, Chao Phraya, Ratchaburi and Phetchaburi Rivers. During the Ban Phlu Luang dynasty (1688-1767) – the last group of Kings in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, water from four ancient sacred ponds –Sa Ket, Sa Kaeo, Sa Khongkha and Sa Yamuna in Suphan Buri – was added to the ritual because the dynasty’s Kings hailed from Suphan Buri,” added Prof MR Suriyavudh Suksvasti, the art historian and chief of the sub-committee set up to providing information of the coronation ceremony.

 

King Rama VI was first crowned with simplified rituals in 1910, shortly after the passing of his father, King Rama V, and then later in a full-scale event with the participation of foreign royals in 1911.

 

The five local principle streams and four sacred ponds in Suphan Buri were used in the ceremony until the reign of King Rama V when the five streams in India were included in the ritual.

 

“King Rama IV, who was ordained for 27 years before acceding to the throne, added the Buddhist religious procedure of chanting and consecrating the holy water to the purification bath in addition to the Hinduism practice. He was also the first monarch to perform the protocol of crowning himself with the Great Crown of Victory – an item of the royal regalia offered by a chief Brahmin in the ceremony. There was no record of previous Kings performing this protocol,” Suriyavudh added during his talk on the coronation ceremony at the Government Public Relations Department last month.

 

The coronation ceremony of King Rama IV in 1851

 

During the coronation ceremony of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the sacred water to be used in the purification bath will be collected from five local main streams and four ponds in Suphan Buri. For the anointment rite, the sacred water will come from 107 important sites in 76 provinces and from the Grand Palace.

 

The water collecting ceremony at each site will start at the same auspicious time on April 6. The water consecration ritual will be done at each province’s principle temple on April 8. 

 

King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) will complete his enthronment according to the venerable traditional practices in a ceremony extending from May 4 to 6.

 

All the sacred water will later be brought to Wat Suthat Thep Wararam in Bangkok for the water consecration ritual again on April 18, before proceeding to the ordination hall of Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram, known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the next day in preparation for the ceremony.

 

“The sacred water from all sites will be sanctified at Wat Suthat because this temple was built by King Rama I in 1809 to symbolise Mouth Sumera after he established Krung Rattanakosin (now Bangkok) whose name represented the heaven of the Indra deity,” Suriyavudh explained.

 

The chief Brahmin offered King Bhumibol the Great Crown of Victory during his coronation ceremony on May 5, 1950.

 

On the morning of May 4, His Majesty, dressed in white garments, will first participate in the purification bath by sitting on a wooden bench inside a pavilion specially erected next to Chakrapat Biman Royal Residence in the Grand Palace. The sacred water will flow out from a canopied showerhead.

 

He will change into the regal vestments to attend the royal anointment rite at Atha Disa Udumbara Raja Asana Throne that is intricately carved with fig wood in octagonal shape. The anointment water will be presented to the King in eight cardinal directions of the compass – representing his rule of the Kingdom. The monarch has to turn in the clockwise direction to receive, starting from the east that is considered the primary direction. The chief Brahmin will also present him Nophapadol Maha Saweta Chatra (the nine-tiered white umbrella). 

 

February 25, 1925: King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) seated on Atha Disa Udumbara Raja Asana Throne to receive the anointing water.

 

His Majesty will then proceed to another throne Bhadrapitha enshrined with the nine-tiered white umbrella for the crowning and investiture ceremony. The chief Brahmin will present him Phra Suphannabat (the royal golden plaque) upon which is inscribed his royal official title, together with the royal seal of state, the royal regalia, the royal utensils, and the weapons of sovereignty. The monarch will crown himself with Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut (the great crown of victory) – the second most important item in the set of royal regalia after the nine-tiered white umbrella – and utter the oath of his accession.

 

The royal procession of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) to Wat Arun on December 4, 1911

 

The next procedure is granting an audience to royal family members, privy councillors, cabinet members and high-ranking officials at Amarindra Vinijaya Throne Hall before proceeding to Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram to declare his willingness to become the royal patron of Buddhism. The paying homage to the royal relics of previous Kings and Queens are performed later.

 

“Another important ritual is Chalerm Phra Raja Montien (the assumption of the royal residence) for the King to inhabit the palace. A high-ranking royal family member will be in charge of preparing the bed and giving blessing. This ritual signifies His Majesty as the chief of the monarchy. During the ceremony of King Rama IX, he resided there for one night,” added Suriyavudh.

 

The following day will see the ceremony to bestow the royal name on the newly crowned King, in line with the traditions governing the monarchy. On the same day, certain members of the royal family will be bestowed new titles to reflect their relationship with the monarch.

 

The final ceremony takes place outside the Grand Palace in the form of a royal procession to Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh and Wat Phra Chetuphon to pay respect to the principle Buddha statues and the royal ashes of the previous Kings and Queens.

 

On the last day of ceremony, May 6, King Maha Vajiralongkorn will hold a grand audience with members of the public and foreign diplomats in the Grand Palace. The royal barge procession to Wat Arun to present kratin – gift of robes presented to monks after the end of the Buddhist Lent – will be held in October.

 

A momentous event

 

The preparation schedules of the coronation ceremony are as follows

 

April 6 and 8: The collecting of sacred water and the water consecration ritual nationwide 

 

April 18: The gathering of sacred water from all designated sites to be consecrated at Wat Suthat in Bangkok

 

April 19: The procession of sacred water to Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram in preparation for the purification bath and the anointment rite

 

April 22 and 23: The inscription ceremony of the royal seal of state, the royal golden plaque and the royal horoscope at Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram

 

May 2: King Maha Vajiralongkorn pays homage to the King Rama V Equestrian Monument at the Royal Plaza in the grounds of Dusit Palace, and the King Rama I Monument at Phra Buddha Yod Fa Bridge

 

May 3: The procession of the royal seal of state, the royal golden plaque and the royal horoscope from Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram to the Grand Palace 

 

The three-day coronation ceremony will take place from May 4 to 6

 

May 4: The purification bath and the anointment rite, the crowning and investiture ceremony, the granting an audience to the royal family members and high-ranking officials, and the assumption of the royal residence at the Grand Palace

 

May 5: The bestowing of the royal name and the new titles of the members of the royal family at the Grand Palace and the royal procession to Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh and Wat Phra Chetuphon

 

May 6: The grand audience with the public and foreign diplomats at the Grand Palace

 

Late October: The royal barge procession to Wat Arun 

 

A set of four books on the coronation ceremony, published by the Culture Ministry, is available for free download at www.m-culture.go.th.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/lifestyle/30365061

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-042

Thais urged to decorate their homes with coronation emblem

By The Nation

 

 

People around Thailand are being invited to set worshipping tables and decorate their homes with a new royal emblem that has been created specially for the coronation in May.

 

His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has created the new design himself and approved it for public use ahead of the three-day event from May 4-6.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on Monday showed off the new emblem along with guidelines on how it should be used and displayed from April and until May 4. Recommended places include coronation-related publications, decorative flags/arches and worship tables. 

 

 

His Majesty the King, 66, is the only son of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. 

 

In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. A year’s mourning following the passing of King Rama IX resulted in a postponement of the coronation, although the current monarch’s reign officially began on October 13, 2016, upon his father’s departure.

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30365609

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-12

 

Navy chief presides over ritual ceremony for Subhannahong Barge ahead of Royal Coronation

By Prasert Thepsri 
The Nation

Nation/Prasert Thepsri

 

Royal Thai Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Leuchai Ruddit on Monday presided over the ritual ceremony for the Subhannahong Barge at the Royal Barge Museum in Thonburi’s Bangkok Noi.

 

 

The Navy is in the process of preparing the barge for the Royal Barge Procession as part of the Royal Coronation Ceremony for His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn. 

 

The ceremony will take place from May 4 to May 6 in Bangkok. 

 

The procession will feature 52 royal barges, with a total of 2,098 Navy officers on board.

 

The King will also take the Subhannahong Barge for offering the Royal Kathin Robe at the Royal Kathin Ceremony in October. 

 

Kathina is a Buddhist festival which comes at the end of Vassa, the three-month rainy season.

 

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30366523

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-26

PRD briefs media members on Coronation ceremonies

 

   

BANGKOK, 28 March 2019 (NNT) - The Public Relations Department has briefed members of the media the information about the Coronation ceremonies.

 

Deputy Public Relations Department (PRD) Director General Tassanee Pholchaniko opened a workshop for members of the media on the reporting of Coronation ceremonies at the PRD headquarters in Bangkok.

 

The training was aimed to provide members of the media necessary information regarding the ceremonies for accurate reporting to public audiences.

 

The head of subcommittee on media creation for the Coronation ceremonies, Suriyawut Suksawat, elaborated on the schedules of the ceremonies, along with the collection and consecration of sacred water, the preparations for a state procession, the preparations for the general public who wish to receive His Majesty the King during the state procession, the issuing of press cards for media members and the rules for taking photos and videos.

 

The PRD aimed to assure all pictures and videos of the ceremonies will present graceful features of His Majesty the King in the eye of the audiences around the globe.

 

-- © Copyright nnt 2019-03-28

In coronation waters, divinity flows

By The Nation Weekend

 

Buri Ram Governor Theerawat Wuttikul collects sacred water from Wat Klang in a rehearsal on April 3. The actual ceremony of collecting water from 107 different sources in 76 provinces will take place on Saturday.

 

Sacred waters from across the nation will be used to purify, anoint the monarch

 

 

The central act in the coronation of monarchs in most countries where royalty is retained is the placing of the crown on the head. In Thailand, however, the heart of the ritual is water-based and twofold – the purification bath known as Song Phra Muratha Bhisek and an anointing with sacred water, the Abhisek.

 

When His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn formally ascends to the throne as King Rama X in a series of ceremonies from May 4 to 6, the first day will hold the most significant rituals.

 

On the same day he will attend the purification bath and be anointed, as well as being presented with the crown and royal regalia, including the nine-tiered white umbrella that is the supreme symbol of the sovereign.

 

The water to be used in the purification bath is being collected starting this weekend from five key rivers around the country and from four ancient ponds in Suphan Buri.

 

The rivers – together referred to as Bencha Suttha Khongkha and representing five rivers in India, origin of these traditions – are the Bang Pakong, Pasak, Chao Phraya, Ratchaburi and Phetchaburi.

 

The four ponds are Sa Ket, Sa Kaeo, Sa Khongkha and Sa Yamuna.

 

For the anointing, the water will be drawn from 107 different sources in 76 provinces and from the Satrakom Hall in the Grand Palace. The water from all sources will be ritually consecrated at the principle temple in each province on Monday. 

 

The monarchs of Thailand have always been revered as divine or at least semi-divine beings, in accordance with Hindu tradition. 

 

Venerable Brahmanist texts stipulate that the water used to bathe and anoint monarchs must come from the Pancha Maha Natee, the collective name for India’s five main rivers – the Ganga (Ganges), Mahi, Yamuna, Aciravati and Sarabhu. 

 

All of these rivers flow from Mount Kailash, which Hindus regard as the physical embodiment of mythical Mount Sumeru, epicentre of the universe and abode of the god Shiva.

 

In Thailand, the water collected in each province will be kept in a long-necked vessel, which the governors of those provinces will carry to the Interior Ministry in Bangkok on Wednesday. 

 

The collecting of water from Satrakom Hall at the Grand Palace will occur separately, next Friday at precisely 2.09pm, the moment deemed most auspicious, and then it too will be taken to the ministry.

 

On the morning of April 18, all of the water will be carried in procession from the ministry to Wat Suthat Thep Wararam for consecration. 

 

Phitsanulok Governor Pipat Ekkaphapan collects sacred water from Songhong Pond inside the Chan Paland in a rehearsal on April 4. The actual ceremony of collecting water from 107 different sources in 76 provinces will take place on Saturday. 

 

His Holiness Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatayana the Supreme Patriarch and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will lead the sanctifying ritual that evening. 

 

“King Rama I had Wat Suthat built in 1809 to symbolise Mount Sumera after he established Krung Rattanakosin, whose name represented the heaven of the deity Indra,” explained Professor MR Suriyavudh Suksvasti, referring to the new Siamese capital now best known as Bangkok.

 

Suriyavudh, an art historian who chairs a sub-committee charged with sharing information about the coronation, was briefing reporters at the Government Public Relations Department.

 

On April 19, the now-consecrated water will be taken to the ordination hall at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, commonly called Wat Phra Kaew but officially named Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram.

 

The three-day coronation itself begins with the purification bath and the anointing and the crowning and investiture in the morning.

 

His Majesty will then grant an audience to members of his family and high-ranking officials. He will remain at the Grand Palace overnight, symbolically taking possession of it as the royal residence.

 

On May 5, the royal name will formally be bestowed and new titles given to members of the Royal Family, after which there will be a royal procession from the Grand Palace to Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh and Wat Phra Chetuphon. At each temple, respects will be paid to the primary Buddha statues and the ashes of former kings and queens.

 

May 6 brings a grand audience for foreign diplomats and the general public. 

 

Then, in late October, tens of thousands of people will line the banks of the Chao Phraya to watch a royal barge procession carrying His Majesty to Wat Arun for the kratin ceremony. Marking the end of the Buddhist Lent, it involves the presenting of robes to monks.

 

King Maha Vajiralongkorn succeeds his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died on October 13, 2016. 

 

The National Legislative Assembly acknowledged his accession in November that year, recognising him as the 10th monarch of the Chakri Dynasty.

 

Next month’s coronation formally completing the accession follows more than two years of mourning for King Bhumibol. 

 

It comes almost 70 years after |the last royal coronation in Thailand, that of King Bhumibol himself in May 1950.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30367220

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-06

 

Public urged to be part of Royal Coronation

By Jitraporn Senwong 
The Nation

 

 

Members of the public have been invited to become a part of history and line the 7,150-metre-long stretch of road to welcome the royal motorcade during the coronation ceremony of His Majesty the King on May 4 to 6, Police Strategy Office commissioner Pol Lt-General Kraiboon Suadsong said.

 

Kraiboon made this comment after attending a meeting at Interior Ministry on Monday where the committee tasked with providing security during the ceremony discussed preparations. He said measures will be put in place from May 2 to 6 to support tens of thousands of people, who will travel from every corner of Thailand to Rattanakosin Island in Bangkok to witness the Royal Coronation. 

Kraiboon advised people to present their Thai national ID to gain access to the ceremonial grounds. 

 

Bangkokians will be able to park their cars at the Lat Phrao MRT station, the Courts of Justice grounds in Chatuchak as well as at the Office of the Attorney-General, the headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank and the Kasetsart University campus, before boarding shuttle buses provided by the Transport Ministry. 

 

He said 26 sites have been prepared for up to 40,000 cars coming from the provinces, including at Impact Muang Thong Thai, Government Complex on Chaeng Wattana Road, Bitec on Bang Na, the Buddha Monthon Park in Nakhon Pathom and the Central West Gate Mall in Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai district. 

 

 

Free shuttle buses will also be available at Victory Monument and the National Stadium, he said. 

 

The drop-off points will be the Royal Turf Club, the Manangkhasila Mansion, Phitsanulok Mansion (the official residence of the prime minister), Wat Debsirin, Memorial Bridge, Somdet Phra Pinklao Bridge and Rama VIII Bridge. Mobile toilets will also be provided at the sites by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. 

 

These sites will also include a royally granted mobile kitchen and mobile medical unit, so people can eat and have a health check before entering the ceremonial grounds. People will also get to peruse an exhibition on the coronation, while a student band will be present to entertain the crowds, Kraiboon said. 

 

Those wishing to stay overnight can do so at the Thai-Japan Bangkok Youth Centre’s Kilawet Gymnasium and Buddha Monthon Park.

 

 

Free train rides to Bangkok’s Hua Lampong station will be provided for those travelling from Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Pathom. 

 

The Marine Department is also providing free boat rides on May 4 to 6 from 6am to 10pm. They include four rides on Chao Phya Express from Nonthaburi to Pinklao pier, four from Sathorn to Memorial Bridge pier, as well as free ferries to and from Thon Buri. 

 

Screening checkpoints will be set up at Phan Fa Bridge, the Chalermkrung intersection and the Charoenrat Bridge, while 78 points will be set up to distribute drinking water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368129

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-23

 

 

Royal plaques, Seal of State ready for King’s coronation

By The Nation

 

Officials work on the inscription of two royal golden plaques and the engraving of the Royal Seal of State at the Emerald Buddha Temple yesterday.

 

A HISTORIC royal ceremony took place at the Emerald Buddha Temple yesterday for the inscription of two royal golden plaques and the engraving of the Royal Seal of State.

 

One of the plaques carries the name of HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn, while the other carries his birth horoscope. 

 

These plaques together with the Royal Seal of State will be used at the King’s coronation next month. 

 

The current monarch, known as King Rama X, is the only son of HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and HM Queen Sirikit. King Rama X ascended the throne after the passing of his father in October 2016. Preparations are currently under way for the grand coronation of the King. The monarch assigned Admiral Mom Chao Pusarn Sawasdiwat to represent him at the royal ceremony for the |inscription of two royal golden plaques and the engraving of the Royal Seal of State yesterday.

 

 

Pusarn arrived at the Emerald Buddha Temple at 9.30am. Upon arrival, he paid his respects to the Emerald Buddha. Royal astrologer Chatchai Pin-ngern, who was chosen for the inscription of the King’s birth horoscope, royal craftsman Suntorn Wilai, who was chosen to engrave the Seal of State, and a chosen letter official, also paid their respects to the sacred statue. They then sat at tables prepared for their job. 

 

During the work of inscription and engraving, monks chanted prayers, royal astrologers sounded gongs, Brahmin priests blew conch shells and musicians played various instruments on the auspicious occasion. 

 

After the inscription and engraving were completed, the chief of Brahmin priests anointed the royal golden plaques and the Seal of State. 

 

The last time Thailand had organised such a ceremony was on April 21, 1950. Back then, the ceremony was held for the current monarch’s father, who reigned for seven decades until his passing in 2016.

 

Next Friday, the two royal golden plaques and the Royal Seal of State that were prepared at yesterday’s ritual will be moved from the Emerald Buddha Temple to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall.

 

On May 4, the three-day Royal Coronation ceremony will start. The ritual on May 4 is considered the most important when the royal golden plaques and the Royal Seal of State will be presented to the King along with the Royal Regalia, the ancient and auspicious orders and the weapons of sovereignty. After the crowning and investiture ceremony, the King will present the First Royal Command.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368238

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-24

Final touches being applied to grand coronation scene at Rattanakosin

By The Nation

 

 

Landscaping work on Bangkok's Rattanakosin Island in preparation for His Majesty the King's coronation procession will be capped this month with a "Big Cleaning Day" on April 26.

 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and allies is holding the event to spruce up the route of the procession as well as sites used in the coronation ceremonies.

 

 

BMA Permanent Secretary Silpsuay Raweesangsoon, who led officials to inspect the progress of work on Tuesday afternoon, said road repairs, drain-cleaning, traffic markings, decoration with flags and flowering plants and installation of the "Soom Chalermphrakiat" commemorative arch route was almost 100 per cent complete along the Liab Phranakhon royal procession's seven-kilometre route. 

 

Silpsuay added that after a little fine-tuning, the improvement works would be finished by the end of April – days ahead of the May 4 to 6 coronation ceremonies.

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30368271

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-24

‘Big Cleaning Day’ prepares the royal procession route

By Rachanon Intharaksa 
The Nation

 

 

Nearly 6,000 “We Do Good From the Heart” volunteers, city workers and related officials on Friday participated in “Big Cleaning Day” activities to spruce up the roads and key sites on Bangkok’s Rattanakosin Island in preparation for His Majesty the King’s upcoming coronation procession.

 

 

Air Vice Marshal Supichai Soonthornbura , deputy secretary-general for the Bureau of the Royal Household, presided over the event’s opening ceremony at Sanam Luang and dispatched volunteers to perform tasks at designated spots.

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30368411

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-26

Thailand rehearses elaborate $31 million coronation for king

 

People stand in front of a portrait of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn during a rehearsal of his coronation procession which will take place next week in Bangkok, Thailand April 28, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Forty roads were closed in Bangkok as a band and officers on horseback marched past the Grand Palace on Sunday in a dress rehearsal for the next weekend's coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Thailand's first in nearly seven decades.

 

Vajiralongkorn, 66, also known by the title King Rama X, became constitutional monarch after the death of his revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in October 2016 after 70 years on the throne.

 

His coronation follows a mourning period for Bhumibol, whose grand funeral was held a year after his death.

 

The military-run government has set aside 1 billion baht ($31 million) for coronation ceremonies on May 4-6, about one-third of the cost of the funeral.

 

The official coronation will be a mix of Buddhist religious ceremonies and Hindu Brahmin rituals. The king will be crowned on May 4, and the procession follows the next day.

 

On May 6, declared a national holiday, he will meet Thai and foreign dignitaries.

 

Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932, but the king is regarded as the spiritual protector of its people and culture.

 

A revival in the monarchy's popularity has been helped by a formidable public relations machine - the evening news in Thailand includes a daily segment dedicated to the royals.

 

Thais have been invited to wear yellow - a colour associated with the monarch and his late father - to show support for the king from April until his birthday in late July.

 

($1 = 31.93 baht)

 

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Juarawee Kittisilpa; Editing by Kay Johnson and Kevin Liffey)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-04-29

Stepping up to the CROWN

By The Nation

 

 

Ahead of this weekend’s much-anticipated Coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, an overview of an already impressive career and many achievements.

 

THIS SATURDAY, May 4, will see the formal investiture of the current Chakri monarch with regal power when His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 66, accedes to the throne as King Rama X, succeeding his beloved father, His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX).

 

 

The late King died on October 13, 2016 and the National Legislative Assembly acknowledged his heir’s accession the following month. 

 

“I accept the invitation in order to follow His Majesty King Bhumibol’s will and for the benefit of all Thai people,” the monarch said in reply to the invitation during his inauguration on December 1, 2016.

 

More than seven decades have passed since the last Royal Coronation – that of King Bhumibol – on May 5, 1950. The coming ceremony is steeped in traditions that date back to the 13th century. The first coronation in the Chakri Dynasty was that of King Rama I in 1782, soon after he established the present Rattanakosin Era.

 

 

His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn is the only son and second of four children of King Bhumibol and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. He was born in Bangkok on July 28, 1952. 

 

 

He was proclaimed Crown Prince on December 28, 1972, in the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall of the Grand Palace, making him the third crown prince of the Royal House of Chakri in accordance with the Palace Law on Succession of 1924.

 

His Royal Highness Prince Vajiralongkorn began his education in 1956 in the Phra Thinang Udon-pak wing within the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, where his older sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana, was also studying. 

 

A permanent building was later constructed in the compound of the Chitralada Royal Villa at Dusit Palace and became known as the Chitralada School. His other two sisters are Their Royal Highnesses Princesses Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Chulabhorn. 

 

 

The King is also the father of three children – Their Royal Highnesses Princesses Bajrakitiyabha and Sirivannavari Nariratana and His Royal Highness Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti.

 

After completing his primary education in Thailand, His Majesty attended secondary school in Britain. In 1966 he started at King’s Mead School in Seaford, Sussex, later moving to Millfield School in Somerset, where he completed his secondary education in July 1970. During his time there, he was known simply as V Mahidol.

 

Two months later, in September 1970, His Majesty attended a military training course at the King’s School in Sydney, Australia, where he was assigned to MacArthur House. 

 

In 1972 he enrolled at Australia’s Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra, where he went by the name Staff Cadet V Mahidol. He was praised for his ability both academically and in sports. His education at Duntroon was divided into two parts – military training by the Australian army and a bachelor’s-degree course under the auspices of the University of New South Wales. 

 

His Majesty graduated in 1976 as a newly commissioned lieutenant with a BA in Military Studies.

 

His Majesty then returned to Thailand and served as a career officer in the Royal Thai Army. He attended the Command and General Staff College in 1977 and the Royal College of Defence Studies in Britain in 1990. 

 

 

The King attended several other training courses, mainly focusing on aircraft, and has served as a trainer for fighter pilots for the Royal Thai Air Force. 

 

As Crown Prince for 44 years, His Majesty carried out countless royal duties for Thailand. He is well known for the major roles he played in the Royal Thai Armed Forces, making frequent tours of the provinces and representing King Bhumibol at a wide variety of official functions and ceremonies. 

 

During periods training with US, British and Australian armed services, the King studied unconventional warfare and advanced navigation. In 1978 he became head of the King’s Own Bodyguard Battalion. A qualified fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, he holds a licence to fly the Northrop F-5 and several other aircraft including the F-16 and the Boeing 737-400. 

 

His name is also attached to medical care, with Crown Prince Hospitals set up in 21 locations in 1977 from funds donated by the public to serve as healthcare centres for people living in remote areas. These hospitals have become major community hospitals providing services of international standard. 

 

Because of his interest in agricultural development – an enthusiasm he shared with his father – the Mobile Agricultural Clinic Project was initiated under his patronage. The project provides prompt services to farmers in order to enhance efficiency in production and solve problems, as well as to provide advice on agricultural technology. 

 

It is a testament to His Majesty the King’s abilities in the fields of art, architecture and literature that a poem he wrote on Her Majesty the Queen’s fifth-birthday cycle was engraved on a silver plate and is displayed at Phra Tamnak Siriyalai in Ayutthaya province. 

 

The Pid Thong Lang Phra Foundation, a Royal initiative, is one of the many models that exemplify His Majesty’s resolution to fulfil the wishes of his late father and work for the benefit of all Thais. 

 

Always caring for the wellbeing of his subjects, the King kept himself abreast of developments during the Tham Luang Cave rescue in Chiang Rai last year. He urged the quick rescue of the 11 young players of the Wild Boars football team and their coach.

 

 

In his New Year greeting card this year, his message was: “With love and a pure heart, may the New Year bring joy, good health, serenity, intelligence, prosperity and faith to enhance one’s happiness and well wishes to others for long-lasting contentment.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368537

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-29

Evolution of a vivid, enduring ritual

By The Nation 

 

After the purification bathing ceremony, King Bhumibol in the regal vestments proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall for the anointment rite.

 

The coronation ceremony is highly influenced by Indian precepts, with evidence suggesting the rites began taking their present form in the 13th century, during the Sukhothai Period.

 

What we will see this weekend, though, is a variant of what became common in the Ayutthaya Period, 1350 to 1767.

 

“After founding the Chakri Dynasty and making Bangkok the capital in 1782, King Rama I re-examined the coronation records from the late Ayutthaya period, resulting in a revised procedure and the prototype for the rites of accession ever since,” explained Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam.

 

King Bhumibol (Rama IX) on the throne enshrined with the nine-tiered umbrella, grants an audience to the royal family members and state officials on May 5, 1950.

 

The key rites are the purification bath and anointing with sacred water. Siamese and Thai monarchs have always been revered as divine or at least semi-divine, in accord with Hindu tradition.

 

Venerable Brahmanist texts stipulate that the water used to bathe and anoint monarchs must come from the Pancha Maha Natee, the collective name for India’s five main rivers – the Ganga (Ganges), Mahi, Yamuna, Aciravati and Sarabhu. 

 

All of these rivers flow from Mount Kailash, which Hindus regard as the physical embodiment of mythical Mount Sumeru, epicentre of the universe and abode of the god Shiva.

 

King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit grant a public audience from a balcony of the Suddhaisavarya Prasad Throne Hall at the Grand Palace on May 7, 1950.

 

Professor MR Suriyavudh Suksvasti, an art historian and head of a sub-committee in charge of disseminating information about this weekend’s coronation, said the five rivers of Siam recognised as corresponding to India’s in the late Ayutthaya period were collectively called Bencha Suttha Khongkha. 

 

“During the Ban Phlu Luang Dynasty from 1688-1767 – the last kings of Ayutthaya – it was decreed that water should also be drawn from four sacred ponds in Suphan Buri, because those kings hailed from Suphan Buri,” he said.

 

The last time Thais witnessed the purification, anointing and investiture of a monarch was during the coronation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) on May 5, 1950. 

 

On May 5, 1950, King Bhumibol dressed in white garment, waits within a pavilion in the Grand Palace ready to participate in the purification bathing ceremony.

 

Dressed all in white, he underwent the purification bath sitting on a wooden bench inside a specially erected pavilion next to the Chakrapat Biman Royal Residence of the Grand Palace. 

 

The sacred water flowed from a canopied showerhead, while the Supreme Patriarch poured water of benediction over his hands.

 

“King Rama IV, who was a monk for 27 years before ascending the throne, added Buddhist chanting and consecration of the holy water to the Hindu customs of the purification bath,” Suriyavudh said. “He was also the first monarch to crown himself with the Great Crown of Victory offered him by the chief Brahmin. There was no record of previous kings doing this.”

 

Anointing water is presented to King Bhumibol from the eight cardinal directions of the compass. 

 

King Bhumibol next changed into regal vestments for the anointing rite in the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall. For this he sat on the octagonal Atha Disa Udumbara Raja Asana Throne, intricately carved of fig wood. 

 

The anointing water was presented to him from the eight cardinal directions of the compass, representing the breadth of the Kingdom, as he turned in a clockwise manner to receive each one, starting from the east. 

 

The chief Brahmin offers King Bhumibol the Great Crown of Victory.

 

The chief Brahmin then presented him with the Nophapadol Maha Saweta Chatra – the white, nine-tiered parasol and the most important symbol of the supreme sovereign.

 

Moving to another throne called Bhadrapitha, King Bhumibol was crowned and invested beneath the nine-tiered umbrella. Here the chief Brahmin gave him the royal golden plaques, seal of state, regalia, the royal utensils and the weapons of sovereignty. 

 

The monarch then placed the Great Crown of Victory, known as the Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut, on his own head. This is the second-most important item of the royal regalia. 

 

After giving his first royal command, King Bhumibol pours water as an offering to the Goddess of the Earth to ratify his responsibility to rule the kingdom. 

 

At this moment King Bhumibol uttered perhaps his best-remembered words: “We will reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people.”

 

Keepsakes for the ages

 

Available for free download is a set of four books - “The Royal Coronation Ceremony” in Thai and English version, and two more in Thai  “Knowledge on the Royal Coronation Ceremony” and  “A Collection of Articles about the Royal Coronation Ceremony”.

 

All are published by the Culture Ministry and available at www.m-culture.go.th.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/lifestyle/30368580

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-30

Royal rites of passage

By The Nation 

 

The royal procession from the Grand Palace to Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh and Wat Phra Chetuphon is rehearsed. King Rama X will on Sunday pay respects to the principal Buddha statues and the ashes of previous kings and queens.

 

An explanation of three-day ceremony that will see His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn formally crowned this weekend

 

THE ANCIENT tradition to formally complete the accession to the throne of the current monarch, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), will take place from Saturday through Monday in a series of continuous and comprehensive procedures that are intricate, complicated and full of symbolic meaning in Hinduism and Buddhism. 

 

The momentous event can be divided into three sessions: preliminary, primary and final rites.

 

Sacred water from sources across the country is kept in long-necked, gilded ceramic vessels bearing the royal emblem of the coronation.

 

The significant rite in the preliminary session that takes place before coronation day deals with the collecting and consecration of sacred water to be used at the heart of the ceremony – the purification bath known as Song Phra Muratha Bhisek and an anointing with sacred water, the Abhisek.

 

The collecting of sacred water from different sources across the country began on April 6. The water to be used in the purification bath came from five rivers around the country and from four ancient ponds in Suphan Buri. 

 

Interior Ministry permanent secretary Chatchai Promlert and Suphan Buri Governor Nimit Wanchaithanawong help collect water from four ponds in the home province of the last Ayutthaya monarchs.

 

The rivers – together referred to as Bencha Suttha Khongkha and representing five rivers in India, origin of these traditions – are the Bang Pakong, Pasak, Chao Phraya, Ratchaburi and Phetchaburi. The four ponds are Sa Ket, Sa Kaeo, Sa Khongkha and Sa Yamuna. 

 

For the anointing, the water was drawn from 107 sources in 76 provinces and from the Satrakom Hall within the Grand Palace in Bangkok. 

 

The water from all sources was ritually consecrated at the principal temple in each province on April 8. The water collected in each province was kept in a long-necked, gilded ceramic vessel bearing the royal emblem of the auspicious occasion of the coronation of King Rama X. 

 

The governors of those provinces delivered the vessels to the Interior Ministry in Bangkok on April 10. The water from Satrakom Hall was drawn on April 12 and also taken to the ministry by capital’s governor. 

 

The Supreme Patriarch, His Holiness Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatayana, leads a ritual sanctifying the coronation waters at Wat Suthat Thep Wararam on April 18.

 

On the morning of April 18, all the water was carried in procession from the ministry to Wat Suthat Thep Wararam for the evening sanctifying ritual led by the Supreme Patriarch, His Holiness Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatayana, and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

 

In preparation for the purification bath and anointing rite taking place on Saturday at the Grand Palace, the 86 vessels of consecrated water vessels were moved from Wat Suthat to Wat Phra Kaew, known as the temple of the Emerald Buddha. All provincial governors and top officials |participated in the procession on April 19. 

 

The consecrated water is carried in procession from Wat Suthat Thep Wararam to Wat Phra Kaew.

 

Another important part of the preliminary rite was the inscription of the royal golden plaques bearing the official title of the monarch, his horoscope and the royal seal of state. 

 

His Majesty assigned MC Pusarn Svasti to represent him at the inscribing ceremony on April 22 and 23 in the ubosot of Wat Phra Kaew. 

 

On Thursday, His Majesty will pay homage to the King Rama V Equestrian Monument at the Royal Plaza in the grounds of Dusit Palace and to the King Rama I Monument at Phra Buddha Yod Fa Bridge. 

 

Rama V was his great-grandfather and Rama I was the founder of the continuing Chakri Dynasty.

 

Royal golden plaques bearing the official title of King Rama X and his horoscope and the royal seal of state were engraved in the ubosot of Wat Phra Kaew on April 22 and 23.

 

On Friday, King Maha Vajiralongkorn will pay homage to the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew, the same day that the royal golden plaques and royal seal of state are transferred to the Baisan Daksin Throne Hall in the Grand Palace. 

 

The primary ceremony including the purification bath, anointing and investiture take place on Saturday in the Grand Palace. The protocol is expected to follow that of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s coronation on May 5, 1950 (see sidebar).

 

The final procedure on Saturday is an audience granted to members of the Royal Family, Privy Council and Cabinet and other high-ranking officials in the Amarindra Vinijaya Throne Hall.

 

 

The King will then proceed to Wat Phra Kaew to declare his willingness to become the royal patron of Buddhism. 

 

Members of the Royal Family will also be attending a ritual known as Chalerm Phra Raja Montien – the assumption of the royal residence – something akin to a private housewarming celebration. 

 

The royal procession from the Grand Palace to Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh and Wat Phra Chetuphon is rehearsed. King Rama X will on Sunday pay respects to the principal Buddha statues and the ashes of previous kings and queens.

 

Sunday will see the ceremonial bestowal of royal names and new titles upon members of the Royal Family at the Grand Palace. 

 

Then comes a procession along a seven-kilometre route from the Grand Palace to Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh and Wat Phra Chetuphon. At each temple, the King will pay respects to the principal Buddha statues and the ashes of the previous kings and queens while at the same time giving the public a chance to demonstrate homage to the new monarch.

 

On Monday the King will grant a grand public audience in the Grand Palace.

 

The coronation per se actually concludes in October with a royal barge procession. His Majesty will board one of the 50 elaborately decorated boats at the Wasukri Pier and be taken to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, to present robes to monks in the royal kathin ceremony marking the end of Buddhist Lent. 

 

The royal procession from the Grand Palace to Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh and Wat Phra Chetuphon is rehearsed. King Rama X will on Sunday pay respects to the principal Buddha statues and the ashes of previous kings and queens.

 

This weekend’s inspiring series of historic events brings to a close more than two years of mourning for King Bhumibol, whose coronation took place in May 1950. 

 

That of his son is the 12th coronation held during the 10 reigns of the Chakri Dynasty. Rama I, Rama V and Rama VI each underwent two coronation ceremonies, while Rama VIII died before being formally crowned. 

 

The first coronation of Rama I was an abbreviated affair in 1782, shortly after he declared Bangkok the new capital of Siam. Three years later, after several throne halls and the royal regalia were completed, a full-scale coronation took place.

 

Rama V’s first ceremony occurred when he was 15 and still recovering from the malaria that befell him and his father, with fatal results for the latter. The second came when he reached maturity at age 20. 

 

Rama VI was first crowned with simplified rituals, shortly after the deal of his father, Rama V, and then later in a full-scale event with the participation of foreign royalty.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/lifestyle/30368586

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-30

Grand reception planned for King’s first appearance after coronation

By The Nation

 

The Royal Thai Navy prepares the Royal Barges for this weekend’s coronation ceremonies. Nation/Anan Chantarasoot

 

Citizens will get the first glimpse of their newly crowned monarch in person on May 6 when His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn grants audience to the public from the balcony of the Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall within the Grand Palace.

 

Prime Minister’s Office permanent secretary Patcharaporn Inseeyong yesterday invited Thais to don yellow shirts – yellow being the colour associated with Monday, the day of the King’s birth – and gather outside the edifice on Sanamchai Road at 3pm.

 

May 6 has been declared a public holiday. 

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will be positioned in the main area beneath the balcony with representatives of the Army, Navy and Air Force and will lead the crowd in expressing their best wishes to the King. 

 

King Rama X is expected to deliver his first royal command on this occasion.

 

Later, he will grant an audience to foreign diplomats at 5.30pm in the Chakri Maha Prasad Throne Hall.

 

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be on hand for the historic moment, capping a weekend of coronation ceremonies. 

Forty roads around the Grand Palace will be closed to traffic throughout the coronation events, from Saturday onwards. The Transport Ministry is offering free public buses, trains and ferryboats during the period. 

 

Also, people visiting Sanam Luang can enjoy free food from Saturday through Monday, courtesy of His Majesty. 

 

The government will on May 6 be distributing 80,000 boxes of food separately, as well as 300,000 plastic bottles of water and 100,000 commemorative pins, all bearing the date and the royal insignia.

 

The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry will hand out auspicious plants to whoever wants one. 

 

Patcharaporn said that dusk on that day will bring an elaborate demonstration of affection for the King. 

 

“At around 7pm a light-and-sound display incorporating a fleet of drones will form words of good wishes to the Chakri Dynasty. Software was used to create the program that will control dozens of drones and it will last for a long time.”

 

The Culture Ministry yesterday also announced plans to produce 13 keepsake books documenting this coronation and those of the past, in both Thai and English.

 

“People are invited to share the photos they take this weekend, and the best images selected will be published in these books,” Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat.

 

Mail your best snaps to [email protected]. Get more details from the ministry hotline, 1765.

 

 

Songkhla Governor Weeranan Pengchan yesterday plants a |royally-granted “Yellow Star” tree in front of City Hall to mark His Majesty’s coronation on May 4-6. All provincial governors earlier this month obtained the Yellow Star trees, a symbol of the reign of King Rama X, to be planted at provincial halls and important sites.

 

The Interior Ministry yesterday also ordered the governors of all provinces to plant “Yellow Star” trees, which is the tree of the 10th Reign, doubling as a birthday greeting for His Royal Highness Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, the King’s son, who was born on April 29, 2005.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/img/photos/2019/April/29/1d3856a25974476a4c1e6d49439a3c85.jpeg

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-30

The royal regalia and their origins

By The Nation

 

A mural in the ubosot of Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram in Samut Songkhram province depicts the chief Brahmin presenting Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut (the Great Crown of Victory) to King Rama II during the coronation ceremony.

 

His Majesty King Rama X will be presented with a collection of elaborately crafted items to symbolise his sovereignty

 

FOLLOWING on from purification bathing and anointing rituals with consecrated water that are at the heart of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s coronation ceremony this Saturday, is the crowning and the investiture ceremony.

 

Each item of the royal regalia to be presented by the chief Brahmin during the ceremony has a symbolic significance, reflecting a practice that goes back to the 13th century during the Sukhothai Period.

 

Nophapadon Maha Saweta Chatra (the White Nine-tiered Umbrella), the most important symbol of the supreme sovereign, is presented to King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) on May 5, 1950.

 

Evidence of this lies in a stone inscription, written in Thai and Khmer found at Wat Pa Mamuang in Sukhothai province, that lists the royal regalia used in the coronation of Phra Maha Dhamma Raja I (Lithai) who ruled the Sukhothai kingdom from roughly 1347 to 1368.

 

The chief Brahmin presents Phra Saeng Khan Chai Sri (the Sword of Victory) to King Bhumibol on his coronation day on May 5, 1950.

 

“The Sukhothai kingdom was related to the Khmer Empire and began adopting Hindu precepts in royal ceremonies in addition to the Buddhist concept of Dhammaraja,” says art historian Professor MR Suriyavudh Suksvasti. “Phra Chao Uthong [Somdet Phra

Ramathibodi I, the first king of the Ayutthaya kingdom who ruled from 1350 to 1369] largely accepted the Khmer concept of Devaraja or the king as a divine ruler.”

 

When King Rama I founded the Chakri dynasty and made Bangkok the capital in 1782, his coronation ceremony held that same year was an abbreviated affair due to the uncertain situation in his kingdom. In 1783, he commissioned an assembly to re-examine the coronation records from late Ayutthaya period, resulting in a revised procedure recorded in the “Manual on the Royal Coronation Ceremony Procedure Collected from the Ayutthaya Period for Official Use”.

 

A mural in the ubosot of Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram in Samut Songkhram province depicts the chief Brahmin presenting Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut (the Great Crown of Victory) to King Rama II during the coronation ceremony.

 

In conjunction with the completion pavilions in the new Grand Palace and a new set of royal regalia, King Rama I held his second coronation ceremony in 1785. This became the prototype for the rites of accession of the kings of the current Chakri Dynasty. 

 

The first item to be presented is the Nophapadon Maha Saweta Chatra (the White Nine-tiered Umbrella), the most important symbol of supreme sovereignty. The nine layers of the tiered umbrella are made of white cloth trimmed with gold. King Rama IV ordered the tiered umbrella to be covered with white cloth instead of the previous tash cloth (silk woven with threads wrapped in gold or silver thread.)

 

The quintet of the royal regalia

 

Next comes the quintet of royal regalia, namely Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut (Great Crown of Victory), Phra Saeng Khan Chai Sri (Sword of Victory), Than Phra Kon (Royal Sceptre), Walawichani (Royal Fan and Fly Whisk) and Chalong Phrabat Choeng Ngon (the Royal Slippers).

 

Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut (the Great Crown of Victory)

 

Made at the royal command of King Rama I, the multi-tiered crown symbolising the heavenly abode of the Hindu god Indra is made of gold, enamelled and studded with diamonds and other precious stones. It is 66 centimetres high and weighs 7.3 kilograms. The tip of the crown was later embellished with a large diamond that King Rama IV brought from India. 

 

Phra Saeng Khan Chai Sri (the Sword of Victory)

 

Legend has it that the blade of the Sword of Victory, which represents sovereignty and military power, was found by a fisherman in a lake in Cambodia and presented to King Rama I. He later ordered that the hilt and sheath be ornamented in gold enamel and precious gems.

 

The length of the blade itself is 64.5cm and 89.8cm including the hilt. It weighs 1.3kg, and when enclosed in the sheath, it is 101cm long and weighs 1.9 kg. 

 

Than Phra Kon (the Royal Scepter)

 

Symbolising legal authority and justice, the Royal Sceptre was originally made during the reign of King Rama I. The staff was crafted from Javanese Cassia wood, with a gilded trident as the finial and an iron hilt enamelled with gold. 

 

King Rama IV ordered a new sceptre to be made of pure gold, designed to hide a sword within and a figure of a deity on its finial. However, King Rama VI brought back the original sceptre for his coronation and it has been used ever since. 

 

Walawichani (the Royal Fan and Fly Whisk)

 

Also made in the reign of King Rama I as a symbol to repel any maleficent forces that might adversely affect his subjects was the Royal Fan and Fly Whisk. Originally made from palm leaf, the rim of the fan was trimmed with gold and rod made of enamelled gold. 

 

As an expert in the Pali language, King Rama IV later pointed out that a direct translation of the term Walawichani indicated that the fly whisk should be made with yak hair instead of a palm leaf. He later ordered that the Walawichani be adjusted accordingly. 

 

Chalong Phrabat Choeng Ngon (the Royal Slippers)

 

The last item is the Royal Slippers that take the form of an open-heeled slipper with the front curling up to a point. Symbolising the ruler’s majesty, King Rama I ordered a pair of gold slippers to be made according to ancient Hindu belief. This pair was made of colourful enamelled gold and inlaid with diamonds. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/lifestyle/30368636

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-01

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In Thailand, a white elephant fit for a new king

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat

 

Plai Ekachai, 33, who will become first “white” elephant to be discovered under the reign of King Rama X, also known as Maha Vajiralongkorn, does his daily walking exercise in Maha Sarakham, Thailand April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

MAHA SARAKHAM, Thailand (Reuters) - A large portrait of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn dominates one end of the open-air enclosure where an elephant known as Plai Ekachai starts his day at a conservation center in the country's northeast.

 

Since last year, the 33-year-old male elephant has been treated with reverence as a deity after being identified as the first auspicious white elephant to be discovered under the reign of King Rama X, as the monarch is also known.

 

The elephant is to be presented as a gift to the new king sometime after this weekend's coronation ceremonies, the first the country will have seen in 69 years.

 

A man makes an offering to Plai Ekachai, 33, who will become first “white” elephant to be discovered under the reign of King Rama X, also known as Maha Vajiralongkorn, in Maha Sarakham, Thailand April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

"There is no greater merit than to raise such an elephant for the king," says Thanabadee Promsook, 35, who runs the center housing nine other regular elephants.

 

Thanabadee refers to the elephant as "His Highness" and kneels before him daily. "Plai" in Thai means male elephant.

 

Elephants classified as white in Thailand are not necessarily albino or solid white but are more pale in color than normal and are rare and especially revered.

 

They are regarded as a symbol of kingship and treated as deities, mainly due to the mythical white elephant Airavata, or Erawan as Thais call him, who is the vehicle of Indra, king of the Hindu gods.

 

MORAL STRENGTH

In Thai Buddhism, the appearance of white elephants is associated with the moral authority of a monarch, whose ability to attract such divine beings is one indication of his divine mandate, said Edoardo Siani, a cultural anthropologist of Thailand at Kyoto University.

 

"Buddhist kings show possession of white elephants as a proof of their legitimacy," said Siani.

 

"Legitimate kings effortlessly attract white elephants from all corners of the kingdom. These elephants willingly submit to the authority of kings out of recognition of their moral strength."

 

King Vajiralongkorn's late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, received 10 white elephants during his 70-year reign, before he died in October 2016.

 

When his remains were kept at the Grand Palace awaiting a royal cremation, 11 elephants decorated to look like white elephants crouched down before the palace walls in a symbolic gesture to honor the "people's king".

 

Thanabadee said he was overcome with joy to present the new king with the first white elephant of his reign, especially in the auspicious light of the coronation events.

 

Although not an albino, Ekachai is white - an indication of purity in Thai tradition - in all the right places.

 

According to ancient Brahman texts, a white elephant has seven auspicious characteristics: white eyes, a white soft palate, white toenails, white hair, white skin, white tail hair, and white genitals.

 

EVERYTHING AN ELEPHANT CAN BE

Plai Ekachai hails from the southern tourist town of Krabi, where he was forced – and refused – to haul heavy logs and let tourists ride him, said Thanabadee, who bought him in 2010 and brought him about 1,200 km (750 miles) to Maha Sarakham.

 

There, Ekachai spends all his time with his mahout, Vichian Prathumdee, 44, who takes care of him in every way from collecting his droppings to showering him with kisses and cuddles.

 

"It's the greatest honor of a mahout's life. I'm filled with the greatest pride to be his caretaker. It's my life's miracle, be it due to merit or luck," said Vichian, who has 16 years under his belt handling more than 500 elephants prior to Ekachai.

 

Plai Ekachai wakes each day on a mound facing the portrait of the king and starts his day by eating Napier grass.

 

Vichian then takes him out for an hour-long stroll around the camp for exercise, before scrubbing him clean in a shower to rinse away last night's dirt, revealing smooth skin and light spots all over his features.

 

Every day visitors come to see Ekachai, believing it will bring them luck.

 

Children watch in awe as Ekachai raises his trunk and roars while adults buy lottery tickets based on "auspicious numbers" associated with the elephant and amulets blessed by him.

 

There is no set date yet for when Ekachai will undergo an official ceremony to become a royal white elephant of King Rama X, which will see him granted a royal name and title. It will be the country's first such event since 1978.

 

Until then, Thanabadee and Vichian pledge to care for Ekachai to the best of their abilities.

 

"From then to now, he has proven a true king of elephants. He is formidable, yet full of moral compassion," Thanabadee said.

"He is everything an elephant can be."

 

(Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Kay Johnson and Robert Birsel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-05-01

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HM crowns Suthida as Queen

By The Nation

 

 

HM KING Maha Vajiralongkorn has named General Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya as the Queen, the Royal Gazette announced on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1098106-thailand-has-new-queen/?do=findComment&comment=14097823

 

First coronation on film

By The Nation 

 

Scenes from the Coronation Ceremony of King Rama VII in 1925, which was filmed for the first time and has become treasured evidence. /Photo courtesy of Thai Film Archive 

 

Two recordings of the coronation of King Rama VII have been found, restored and can be seen on YouTube

 

Since 2016, royal observers and cinephiles have been able to view a 15-minute film capturing a few exquisite moments of King Rama VII’s coronation on the Thai Film Archive’s YouTube channel. Recorded 94 years ago, and marking the first time a coronation has ever been recorded in moving pictures, the frames were carefully preserved and restored. Now, to celebrate the upcoming coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, a further 30 minutes of footage has been unveiled and offers an even closer look at the intricate details of that royal ceremony.

 

Both films are silent and black-and-white with surtitles. Even so, the audiences of today will find it difficult to fully comprehend what is being shown in the frames. 

 

During a recent screening, historian Asst Professor Dinar Boontharm from Chulalongkorn’s Faculty of Arts, and film archivist Dome Sukwong gave a talk to explain the rituals shown in the film, how it was created and discovered. 

 

During the talk, Dinar noted the similarities and differences in the ceremonies during King Rama VII’s coronation in 1925 and that of King Rama IX in 1950 – the result of a change from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one following the 1932 revolution and advent of World War II. 

 

He also pointed out that the footage from the two coronations provides a valuable insight into the history and evolution of the ceremony and history of the Rattanakosin period.

 

The crew from the Film Department under of the Royal State Railways of Siam (RSR) who went on to become major figures in Thai film history. From left (in white dress), Krasian Wasuwat, Khun Patiphakphimlikhit (Pleng Tripin), Luang Karnjenjit (Phao Wasuwat). /Photo courtesy of Thai Film Archive 

 

“Before the 1925 film, coronation ceremonies were only summarised in written chronicles and still pictures,” he explained. 

 

The coronation ceremony is highly influenced by Hindu precepts, with evidence suggesting the rites began taking their present form in the 13th century, during the Sukhothai Period then carried on into the Ayutthaya era. After founding the Chakri Dynasty and making Bangkok the capital in 1782, King Rama I re-examined the coronation records from the late Ayutthaya period and revised the procedures for the rites of accession, which have been used ever since.

 

Throughout the coronations of the Chakri Dynasty, certain procedures and details have been adopted from different influences and gradually adjusted. The coronation of Queen Victoria of England, held 13 years prior to that of King Rama IV, had a significant influence on the ceremony. For instance, while the king didn’t wear the crown as in the West, placing emphasis instead on purification and anointment, he ordered an officer of the court to purchase a large diamond from Calcutta, India, and had it placed at the top of the crown, much like that of Queen Victoria’s. 

 

The coronation of King Rama VII was recorded on 35mm nitrate film which, while known for the beauty of its images, was also unstable and apt to deteriorate in high temperatures and humidity. The process of deterioration also gave off potentially flammable fumes. That meant the unseen footage had a mixed quality with plenty of fragmentation and the archive had its work cut out editing and choose the best frames. 

 

The film, the oldest surviving motion picture of the coronation, was made by the Royal State Railways of Siam’s film department, which was granted access to the Grand Palace for the first time. 

 

The Royal State Railways’ film department was like the Government Public Relations Department of today. Some of its staff travelled to Hollywood to learn about filmmaking and on return, started shooting events for newsreels. Like elsewhere, moving pictures were seen as the best media to reach the general public. 

 

“Newspapers were popular only in big cities,” says archivist Dome.

 

Old films discovered in 1981 in an old building belonging to the State Railway of Thailand were mostly in poor condition./Photo courtesy of Thai Film Archive   

 

King Rama VII’s coronation was screened for the general public. Two versions of the film were made: a five-roll 35mm version that was screened outdoors at the Wang Phayathai (now part of Phramongkutklao Hospital), which was an hour long; and a 15-minute version that the Film Department re-edited and sold to those who wanted it as a collectible.

 

The coronation film inspired British archaeologist Horace Geoffrey Quaritch Wales, a state officer who was granted permission by King Rama VII to use for his thesis while serving out his posting in Siam. Wales, who went on to become a professor in archaeology and Southeast Asian history at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, published his thesis titled “Siamese State Ceremonies” in 1931. This was later translated into Thai.

 

However, the coronation films went unnoticed until 1966, when a copy of the 15-minute version was donated to the National Library by Prince Prem Purachatra as a gift to honour the plan to set up a movie archive department. Prince Prem Purachatra was the son of HRH Prince of Kamphaengphet, the first president of the Royal State Railways of Siam, who held the position when the coronation film was made. 

 

Though the film archive department was not founded as planned, the movie has been preserved since then. 

 

In 1981, Dome went in search for the first film made in Thailand – believed to have been done during King Rama VII’s reign. That led him to the offices of the State Railway of Thailand at Hua Lampong where he found 500 reels that had been left to rot. Among them was the footage of King Rama VII’s coronation.

 

The discovery marked the beginning of the campaign to preserve old films and eventually led to the birth of the National Film Archive in 1984, which became Thai Film Archive (Public Organisation) in 2009.

 

The complete 15-minute coronation movie, the 30-minute unseen footage as well as the discussion on coronation films can be seen on Thai Film Archive’s YouTube channel. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30368686

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-02

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The first symbols of royal power

By The Nation

 

Mom Chao Pusarn Sawasdiwat on April 23 is ceremonially assigned the job of overseeing the inscription of two royal plaques and the engraving of the Royal Seal of State.

 

Even before the monarch is handed the Royal Regalia, he is to be presented with an anointed plaque carrying his official name and a Royal Seal of State, by which he is bestowed full power as head of state

 

 

According to Thailand’s centuries-old traditions, a king needs to be crowned to enjoy full kingship. 

 

And the king’s coronation cannot be complete without the Royal Golden Plaque carrying the monarch’s official name and his Royal Seal of State. 

 

People across the nation are keenly following every detail of the coronation, as they rejoice in the fact that their current monarch, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn (King Rama X), is going to be crowned in a rare and historically significant ceremony.

 

King Rama X ascended the throne after the passing of his much-revered father HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) in October 2016, and will be crowned in a three-day ceremony starting tomorrow.

 

On the first day of the ceremony, the royal plaque carrying the King’s full name as Thailand’s monarch and the Royal Seal of State will be presented to him first – even before the Royal Regalia, the ancient orders and the weapons of sovereignty. 

 

This golden plaque carries the full name of King Rama IX: “Phra Bat Somdetch Phra Paramindra Maha Bhumibol Adulyadej Mahitala Dhibesra Rama Dhibodi Chakri Naribodindra Sayamindra Dhiraj Borommanathbobitra”.

 

The official names of Thai kings are usually grand, propitious and quite long. For instance, the official name of King Rama IX inscribed on his Royal Golden Plaque reads: “Phra Bat Somdetch Phra Paramindra Maha Bhumibol Adulyadej Mahitala Dhibesra Rama Dhibodi Chakri Naribodindra Sayamindra Dhiraj Borommanathbobitra”. 

 

Though the size of the plaque varies from reign to reign depending on the length of the monarch’s name, traditionally they are 0.1 centimetres thick and rectangular in shape. The full name of the current monarch has already been inscribed on such a plaque. 

 

The inscription was done in a sacred ceremony on April 23 within the main ubosot of the Emerald Buddha Temple, which sits in the compound of the Grand Palace. In the same ceremony, the King’s horoscope was also inscribed on another golden plaque and the Royal Seal of State engraved. 

 

 

The royal horoscope of King Rama IX, which was presented to the late monarch in his coronation ceremony on May 5, 1950. A similarly inscribed horoscope will be presented to His Majesty tomorrow as part of his coronation ceremony.

 

In charge of inscribing the king’s horoscope on a royal golden plaque was royal astrologer Chatchai Pin-ngern, while royal craftsman Suntorn Wilai was chosen to engrave the Royal Seal of State. The inscription and engraving was done as Buddhist monks chanted prayers, royal astrologers sounded gongs, Brahmin priests blew conch shells and musicians played various instruments for auspicious sounds. 

 

Once the inscription and engraving was completed, the chief Brahmin priest anointed the plaques and the seal. The completed plaques with the King’s official name and horoscope, together with the Royal Seal of Approval were then placed on the stone pulpit in front of the Emerald Buddha statue. 

 

Today, the plaques and the seal will be taken to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall as part of the final preparation for the coronation ceremony. 

 

“…By Siamese royal traditions since ancient times, a king who starts a new reign shall have to attend a coronation ceremony to acquire full kingship. Without the coronation ceremony, even if he moves into the Royal Palace, he still uses his old name…his command shall not be treated as the king’s command. Only after he undergoes the ‘Song Muratha Bhisek’ or Royal Purification ceremony and receives the Royal Plaque of his name and Royal Regalia from the Phra Maha Ratchakhru Brahmin, who performs the Coronation Ceremony, can he sit on the throne with full kingship…,” King Rama VI wrote in the Annals of Royal Coronation. 

 

King Rama VI was a son of King Rama V, the great grandfather of the current monarch – the 10th king in the Chakri Dynasty. 

 

Once the coronation ceremony is complete, King Rama X will affix the Royal Seal of State on key documents during his reign. 

 

The seal symbolises his royal power and reaffirms his status as Thailand’s head of state.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368768

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-03

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Religious ceremonies held to mark royal coronation

By THE NATION

 

 

JUST TWO days ahead of the historic coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, many Thais decided to get ordained as Buddhist monks and attended special merit-making ceremonies in honour of the monarch.

 

The Sangha Supreme Council and the National Office of Buddhism arranged for provincial authorities and related agencies to organise the ordination of 6,810 monks nationwide yesterday to mark the coronation. 

 

In the North, Phayao’s monastic committee chief Phra Rajapariya joined provincial deputy governor Pongpan Wichiansamut to host the mass ordination of 81 monks at Wat Sri Khom Kham in Tambon Wiang of Muang district. The newly ordained monks will stay in the order for 15 days, from yesterday to May 16, at Wat Phra That Chom Thong before discarding their saffron robes. 

 

Down South, Songkhla Governor Weeranan Pengchan presided over a mass ordination ceremony at Wat Mahattaman-galaram in Hat Yai district for 127 men – many of whom were civil servants, police and military officers. 

 

 

Separately, some 150,000 hats have been arranged for the public who will be lining the 7-kilometre stretch to greet His Majesty the King on Sunday during the “Liap Phranakhon” procession after the coronation ceremony, Police Strategy Office commissioner Lt-General Kraiboon Suadsong said yesterday. People have been advised to not spend the night or show up too early to reserve good viewing spots, as the officials will open 22 screening points only at noon. People can place themselves in any of the 23 zones along the 7km route by 3.30pm, he said. 

 

Well-wishers gather in front of a portrait of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn in Bangkok on May 2, 2019, ahead of the royal coronation which will take place from May 4 to 6. // AFP PHOTO

 

On Saturday and Monday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Social Development and Human Security Ministry and Education Ministry will host musical and cultural performances in Sanam Luang by students from different schools, he said. 

 

Kraiboon provided these updates after attending a meeting with a committee tasked with providing security and order during the coronation. 

 

Meanwhile, the Traffic Police Division has announced the closure of 50 roads in Rattanakosin Island during the coronation period. The roads to be closed include Rajdamnoen, Nakhon Sawan, Khao Sarn, Samsen and Larn Luang.

 

The coronation ceremonies will run for three days, with His Majesty being officially crowned tomorrow, followed by the “Liap Phranakhon” procession on Sunday, and a public audience from the balcony of Sutthaisawan Prasat Throne Hall on the eastern side of the Grand Palace on Monday. 

 

The government has declared Monday a public holiday and is calling on the public to attend and wear yellow shirts to express their loyalty to the monarch. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368773

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-03

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Getting ready for pomp and circumstance

By Jintana Panyaarvudh 
The Nation 

 

A series of 22 photos depicting His Majesty’s life from childhood to his teenage years adorn the Fazal Building located at the corner of Asadang and Bamrung Meang Roads in Phra Nakhon district. /Prasert Thepsri

 

Excitement in the air as Bangkokians prepare for once-in-a-life-time spectacle

 

People living along the roads designated for the royal procession are excited and feeling fortunate that they will have an opportunity to get the first glimpse of their newly crowned monarch in person on Sunday. 

 

Decorations adorn many houses and buildings on Rattanakosin Island, lining the route of the Liap Phranakhon Royal procession, as people prepare to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

 

 

With help and funds from City Hall for renovation and decoration, properties along the route look new and lively, as they have been prepared to join the rest of the nation to celebrate the coronation. 

 

Portraits of His Majesty proclaiming “Long Live the King”, along with yellow flags sporting the royal emblem, can be seen everywhere along the streets. 

 

“I’m now 63 and I never thought that I’d have an opportunity to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event, so I’m so happy,” said Salinee Utthahirankul, a grocery shop owner on Phra Nakhon district’s Feung Nakhon Road. 

 

Salinee, who moved from Thon Buri 15 years ago and rented a shop on the road, said she would not have witnessed the precious moment had she not lived on the road.

 

On Sunday, when the royal procession takes place in which HM the King will be carried in a palanquin by soldiers, Salinee will take her 88-year-old father to the frontlines to watch. 

 

She has also prepared a photo of the King for her father to hold while waiting for the procession to pass her shop.

 

Some portraits of His Majesty that are displayed on the facade of the Fazal Building. Nation/Tanachai Pramarnpanich

 

While many shops are decorated with yellow flags and portraits of the King, one building stands at a corner of Asadang Road and Bamrung Mueang Road, attracting bystanders not only for its old structure and classic architecture but also for displaying a series of photos of His Majesty’s life. 

 

The three-storey building is currently under renovation, with its owner’s identity carefully protected by the contractor. 

 

Mana Aubattikrn, contractor and caretaker of the building, said that while renovating the building, he was approached by Phra Nakhon district director Wuthichai Boonsith who wanted to decorate the building for the coronation.

 

“The director gave me those photos from his personal budget. I put them on the old wooden window shutters on the second and third floors, and now the building looks so striking,” Mana told The Nation proudly. 

 

The 22 photos depict King Rama X from his childhood to adulthood.

 

Built in 1896 during King Rama V’s reign, the edifice was named the Fazal Building and housed the EM Katib department store in those days, Mana said. The store sold cut-glass containers, porcelain and perfumes imported from Europe.

 

Mana said his boss had acquired the building three years ago and planned to turn it into a cafe. Once the renovation is completed, he plans to display all the King’s portraits on the second floor for young generations to see and know their history. 

 

People walk past shophouses that date back 132 years on Feung Nakhon Road near Wat Rajabopidh that have been decorated with portraits of His Majesty the King. Nation/Jintana Panyaarvudh

 

His boss also owns four units of two-storey shophouses on Feung Nakhon Road near Wat Rajabopidh. These houses are 132 years old and now sport eight images of the King as part of the coronation celebration, Mana said. 

 

The coronation of the 66-year-old monarch will run from tomorrow through Monday and is considered to be the most important events of the year in Thailand. 

 

It is the first coronation in 69 years, since His Majesty’s revered father King Bhumibol Adulyadej – who passed away in 2016 – formally took the throne in 1950.

 

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the historic event, capping a weekend of coronation ceremonies. 

 

Forty roads around Rattanakosin Island are closed to traffic until Monday. While shops along the route are allowed to open for business as usual, they have been asked by the authorities to keep their display neat and clean in honour of the event. 

 

They have also been asked to stop making any noise, including turning on air-conditioners, as it may frighten the horses in the procession. 

 

Thiwawan Songsaeng, a 48-year-old shop caretaker, said her massage shop on Feung Nakhon road will be open for business on the day, adding that since the procession will pass by quite late in the evening, she will be able to watch it. 

 

She added that the authorities have said the staff in the shop can wear their uniforms as usual, and that it was not necessary to dress in yellow. 

 

Giant banners and posters as well as yellow flags with the Royal insignia can be seen everywhere along Bamrung Mueang Road in Phra Nakhon district, which is part of Sunday’s royal procession route. Nation/Tanachai Pramarnpanich

 

Kontee Subpradisth, the 55-year-old owner of a Buddhist supplies shop on Bamrung Mueang road, said he was delighted and felt lucky that he will get to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. Like everyone else, he too has placed the King’s portrait outside his shop, and since it’s on the corner of the road, he said he will be at hand to provide assistance to anybody who needs it. 

 

The royal procession will leave the Grand Palace at 4.30pm on Sunday and circle around the historic old quarter, giving the people a chance to pay homage to their new monarch.

 

The procession will take a 7-kilometre route from the Grand Palace, stopping at Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh and Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Pho), and is expected to take around six hours. The King will disembark the palanquin at these temples to pay his respects at the main ubosot and to the ashes of his ancestors. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368767

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-03

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