The Fine Arts Department gave an assurance on Friday that the construction of the 50-metre-tall royal crematorium for King Bhumibol Adulyadej would be completed by September as scheduled, saying the three-dimensional design of the pyre and its compound was completed.
The plans of buildings in the compound of the royal crematorium were related to important religious places of Bangkok's historical Rattanakosin Island, the venue of the crematorium. Their north-south axes were aligned with pagodas in the compound of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the east-west axes with the prayer hall of Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit, said Ananda Chuchoti, director-general of the department.
The crematorium would be 60x60 metres at its base and 50.49 metres high, the equivalent of a 17-storey building. It would resemble Mount Meru which, according to old beliefs, was the centre of the universe.
It would be decorated with about 60 statues of deities and mythical creatures and surrounded with plants and tools related to the royal development projects of the late King.
The compound of the royal crematorium would cover two-thirds of the 78-rai Sanam Luang ground and the rest would accommodate performance stages, exhibitions and an area of salute cannons.
"The construction will start in late February. The Fine Arts Department will do its best to speed it up as rain is likely in July and August. Now we are confident that it will be completed as scheduled," Mr Ananda said.
Fine arts officials were renovating traditional royal vehicles to be used in the royal funeral and about 50 old trees would be carefully relocated temporarily from Sanam Luang to pave the way for the construction, he said.
