It has been a month since Thailand suffered the devastating loss of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thousands of mourning Thais still linger around the Sanam Luang area daily, to be close to His Majesty's remains, currently being kept in the Grand Palace as preparations are made, per the ancient traditions, for the Royal Cremation Ceremony, which it is believed will take place in Sanam Luang some time in 2017.
Ahead of this sorrowful occasion, the National Museum Bangkok and the Ministry of Culture welcome the public to the "Royal Carriages And Palanquins In The Royal Cremation Ceremony" exhibition, a showcase of the magnificent and ornate carriages usually reserved to transport the bodies of departed royals (and/or those close to them) as part of the Royal Cremation Ceremony, among many other rare and significant relics and artefacts involved in the passing of Thai royalty. With some dating back to the days of King Rama I, over 200 years ago, the cultural importance of these relics is immense.
According to a museum guide, the specifics of the cremation ceremony have yet to be finalised, as the Office of Traditional Arts has yet to examine or renovate either of the two Royal Carriages -- the Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharot and the Vejjayanta -- and as such have not decided which will receive the honour of bearing His Majesty Rama IX to his final resting place.
The Vejjayanta Royal Carriage. Brandon Harder
Both carriages have been used in the past to carry the deceased kings of the Chakri Dynasty before King Rama IX, and are open to public view from 8am-4pm (other exhibitions will be open till 8pm) at the National Museum Bangkok near Chao Fa road, adjacent to the Tha Prachan campus of Thammasat University. Visitors are welcome to admire the carriages until Nov 30, before they are sent to the Office of Traditional Arts for preparation.
Both commissioned by His Majesty King Rama I for his father's funerary processions in 1795, the Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharot (translated as the Royal Great Victory Carriage) was later used to carry Rama I's body as well, and has been designated as the main carriage used for the transport of a Thai king's remains to the ceremonial crematorium ever since.
With a height of 11.2m and length of 15.3m, the carriage is a multi-tiered, ornately decorated work of art. Several tiers of arches are decorated to resemble the naga, the mythical animal often used to demonstrate royalty's strength and stature.
Topped with a tall, rectangular, hut-like structure, it's where the ritualistic Royal Urn usually carrying the King's body (King Bhumibol will be laid to rest in a coffin, as per his own wishes, in the same manner as his mother, Princess Mother Srinagarindra) will be placed. The multi-tiered design as well as the tall rectangular top is meant to invoke the imagery of Mount Sumeru, the sacred mountain where the King's divine spirit will return to, according to Buddhist belief.
Besides King Rama I, Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharot has also notably been used to carry the bodies of kings Rama II to V (including His Majesty Phra Pinklao, who, along with his brother King Rama IV, ruled Thailand as equals). The carriage had been recorded to require over 200 strong men to carry it, and was perhaps thankfully given wheels per order of King Rama VI. It was last used in 2012, to carry the deceased Princess Bejaratana Ratchasuda, the only daughter of King Rama VI, who had passed away a year prior.
Vejjayanta, meanwhile, was commissioned by King Rama I to carry the body of his sister, Princess Sri Sudarak, along with his other sister Princess Sudaowadee, whose body was carried in the Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharot. Slightly longer and higher than the former carriage, measuring in at 18m and 11.7m respectively, the carriage has carried the bodies of Kings Rama VI and VIII (as the Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharot was undergoing repairs at the time), and was last used in 1985 for the cremation of Her Royal Highness Queen Rambhi Barni (of King Rama VIII).
Aside from the two majestic Royal Carriages, the exhibition also carries many relics of significant cultural and historical import, such as the model of the Royal Crematorium designed for King Rama VI by Rear Adm Somphob Piromya of the Royal Navy, former director of the Fine Arts Department of the time, or the wooden coffin and urn used in the cremation ceremony of Princess Mother Srinagarindra. The exhibition will be open to the public every day until Nov 30.
Figures on display alongside the Royal Chariots. Brandon Harder
The Royal Palanquins. Brandon Harder
