Fah Thai Magazine May June 2019

OVERTURES
ARTS & CULTURAL MATTERS
Elaborate ceremonies marking the Coronation for His Majesty King Rama X will occur over a period of three days,
beginning on May 4 to 6 in the capital city of Bangkok. Already, sacred Buddhist and Brahmin rituals have been
performed in the month leading up to the formal crowning in May.
A Momentous Royal Coronation
Words Chusri Ngamprasert Sources & Photos Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture
Flowing tirelessly for centuries, the Chao
Phraya River bore witness to the rise and fall of
countless ancient kingdoms of Thailand. Together
with her people, joyous times have been celebrated
and times of sorrow have been mourned. Now,
this much-loved river will take on the honourable
task as a grand passage way later this year for the
final part of the Royal Coronation Ceremony or
“Phra Ratcha Phithi Boromma Racha Bhisek”
in this Rattanakosin period.
Influenced by Indian precepts by way
of neighbouring Cambodia, the Royal
Coronation Ceremony is vastly different
from the ones in western countries where
the placing of a crown upon the head of
a monarch and the presentation of items
of regalia are symbolic actions of a formal
investiture of regal power. In the Thai
language, Phra Ratcha Phithi Boromma
Racha Bhisek translates as, “royal bathing
to bestow kingship”, therefore the highlight
of the Royal Coronation Ceremony is the
Royal Purification or Ablution Ceremony or
“Song Phra Muratha Bhisek”. King Rama IV
was the first monarch in the Chakri dynasty
to emphasise the rite of being crowned.
The starting preparation for the royal
ceremony requires collecting water from
several and important water sources in the
Kingdom. The waters will be combined and
blessed for the Royal Purification Ceremony
and Anointment Ceremony.
According to the ancient Brahmanism
textbook, water for the Royal Purification
Ceremony must come from Pancha Maha
Natee, the five sacred streams in India:
the Ganges, Mahi, Yamuna, Sarayu and
Aciravati, which is believed to flow down
from Mount Kailasa, the abode of Isvara.
Historical records indicate that in the
Ayutthaya period, water for the Royal
Purification Ceremony was collected from
four sacred ponds in Suphan Buri province:
Sa Ket, Sa Kaeo, Sa Khongkha and Sa Yamuna.
In the Rattanakosin period, the water
resources, the sequence and certain details
of the ceremony change in accordance to
what is appropriate in each reign.
From the reigns of King Rama I to
Rama III, water from the Five Virtuous
Rivers known as Bencha Suttha Khongkha
(namely Bang Prakong, Pa Sak, Chao
Phraya, Ratchaburi and Phetchaburi) was
Opposite
The “Suphannahong”
Royal Barge for
His Majesty King
Vajiravudh (Rama
VI) during the
Royal Procession by
Waterway around
the city, for the
occasion of the
Royal Coronation
Ceremony in 1911.
Top Left & Right
King Rama IV’s
Royal Coronation
Ceremony in 1851.
King Rama V’s Second
Royal Coronation
Ceremony in 1873.
added to that collected from the four
sacred ponds in Suphan Buri. King Rama IV
added holy water blessed by the monks
chanting the Phra Paritra Mantra to the
original mixture. Additionally, King Rama V
got sacred water from Pancha Maha Natee
during his trip to India, so it was added
to the holy water in his second Royal
Coronation Ceremony. King Rama VI
instructed that water gets collected from
various sources in the kingdom for his
second Royal Coronation Ceremony. The
water consecration ritual would be done
at the province’s principal temple and then
again at the royal temple.
The Royal Golden Plaque with the
inscription of the King’s official title or
“Phra Suphannabat,” the Royal Golden
Plaque of the Royal Horoscope, the Royal
Seal of State, including pedestals and
venues for the royal ceremony have to be
prepared months ahead. The procession
of the Royal Golden Plaque, the Royal
Horoscope and the Royal Seal of State
starts from the ubosot or main hall of Wat
Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram, also known as
the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, to the
ceremonial stage at Baisal Daksin Throne
Hall a day before the ceremony.
In the reign of King Rama I, the Royal
Coronation Ceremony took place at the
Indra Bhisek Maha Prasad Throne Hall.
The venue for King Rama II and following
Kings was the Phra Maha Monthira Group,
consisting of the Chakrapat Biman Royal
Residence, the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall
and the Amarindra Vinijaya Mahaisuraya
Biman Throne Hall. King Rama VI was the
only one using the Dusit Maha Prasad Throne
Hall, a replacement of the former Indra Bhisek
Maha Prasad Throne Hall, as a venue for his
second Royal Coronation Ceremony.
Preliminary ceremonies to the Primary
Royal Coronation Ceremony started three
days before the auspicious day. The new
sovereign would give alms to the monks
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