Royal insignia (Thailand)

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Exhibit "The Great Victor's Crown" on Ratchadamnoen Boulevard in Bangkok 2006

The Royal Insignia of Thailand ( Thai : เครื่อง ราช กกุธภัณฑ์ ) are the coronation insignia of the kings of Thailand , an expression of their power and dignity and a symbol of their rule. Today they are kept in the “Royal Thai Decorations and Coin Pavilion” in the Grand Palace in Bangkok .

Coronation ceremonies

The royal insignia consists of a total of 28 individual parts that are traditionally presented to the king during his coronation ceremonies . Pages and chamberlains bring them to the king in a festive procession . While the court brahmins quote sacred mantras, the king, who sits on the “Bhadrapitha throne”, is first given “the great victorious crown”, which he puts on himself. Then he is given the other insignia one after the other. The king takes them and examines them, after which they are placed on tables next to the throne.

The royal insignia

The royal sandals
  • The royal insignia - shown in bold are the most important ones, the so-called "five insignia" (Thai: เครื่อง เบญจ ราช กกุธภัณฑ์ ; fans and fly whisk are combined):
    • The "Great White Nine-Tiered State Umbrella" (Thai: พระ นพปฎล มหา เศวตฉัตร - Phra Noppadon Maha Sa-wet Chat) is probably the oldest symbol of royal authority in Asia. It consists of several individual screens arranged on top of one another, five screens for the uparat , seven for the king before he is crowned and nine for the king once he has achieved full sovereignty. George Groslier suspects the historical origin of the Siamese umbrellas in the Angkor of the seventh century. Royal screens of this type are also mentioned in the Jataka , as well as in the Mahavamsa .
    • The great winner's crown (Thai: พระ มหา พิชัย ม ง กุ ฏ - Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut) is probably the most unusual piece for a western observer, as it does not correspond to the European idea of ​​a crown. The crown has a more conical shape, not that of a gem-set tiara. It was made of gold in 1782 during the reign of King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) and enameled in red and green in some places . It is about 66 cm high and weighs 7.3 kg. At the top there is a large diamond, called Maha Wichien Mani, which was only added by King Mongkut (Rama IV.) .
    • The winner Sword (Thai: พระแสง ขรรค์ ชัยศรี - Phra Saeng Khan Chaisi) 1783 King Phra Phutthayotfa of Chao Phraya Apai Pubek from Cambodia paid. Chao Phraya Apai Pubek is said to have found it in Tonle Sap Lake . The hilt of the sword is 25 cm long, the blade is 64.5 cm long. When the sword is in its scabbard, it is 101 cm long and weighs 1.9 kg.
    • The royal sandals (Thai: ฉลองพระบาท เชิง งอน - Chalong Phrabat Choeng Ngon) are made of gold and the toes are slightly curved to protect the king's feet. They are set with diamonds and lined with red velvet. Shoes were not worn in ancient Siam; they were only appropriate for royal persons. The custom was also unknown in ancient Cambodia, as shoes are nowhere to be found on the relief representations in Angkor Wat . Rama , the hero of Ramayana, wore sandals , and they are also mentioned in Jataka 406. In both places, the sandals stand as substitutes for royal persons who are not present.
    • The fan (Thai: พัด วาล วิชนี - Phatwan-Wichani) came to Siam from Cambodia, similarly shaped fans are shown on the reliefs in Angkor Wat: a palm leaf bent at right angles to its stem. In the hot countries of Asia, fans are traditionally associated with coolness and a sublime comfort that belongs to divine kings.
    • The “fly whisk made from the tail hair of a yak ” (Thai: พระ แส้ หาง จามรี - Phra Sae Hang Chamri) and
    • the " fly whisk from the tail hair of a white elephant " (Thai: พระ แส้ หาง ช้างเผือก - Phra Sae Hang Chang Pueak), both fronds are very old symbols. They are already mentioned in the Puranas as royal props. The materials they are made of seem to have been chosen for auspicious reasons.
    • The “royal scepter ” is probably to be equated as a symbol with the royal staff. Although the scepter is an important insignia of the European kings, no reference to it can be found in ancient Indian literature. HGWells suspects that it corresponds to the thunderbolt ( vajra ) of the Hindu god Indra .
    • The royal staff (Thai: ธารพระกร - Than Phra Kon) is made from the wood of the cassia tree . It is 118 cm long, has a button at the top and three prongs at the bottom. "He is to guide the king's step on the path of justice and equality."
    • The "personal sword" was worn behind the Siamese kings on almost every occasion by the secretary of the royal household. It is similar to the sword that Zhou Daguan , the Chinese diplomat, saw when he visited the court of Angkor in 1296, possibly also to the "Phra Khan Jayasri", the Jayasri sword, which King Sri Indraditya of the Khmer ruler as an insignia was presented.
    • The "Brahmin belt" is a traditional attribute of the Hindu god Shiva . The offering to the king should represent a symbolic unity of the god with the king.
    • The “Shiny Belt” and
    • the "Belt of the Nine Gemstones" was used as an amulet earlier . The “nine gemstones ” ( diamond , ruby , emerald , yellow sapphire , garnet , black opal , moonstone , zircon and cat's eye ) represent nine planets, the auspicious stones “are intended to provide the king with illustrious power and charity”.
    • The "diamond ring" and
    • the "royal ring" were also used earlier as an amulet. Similar jewelry was also worn by the Khmer kings . Royal signet rings have already been mentioned in the Jataka and also in the Ramayana .
    • The “golden writing tablet with pen” is an important utensil that is used during several ceremonies at the coronation. About 22 days before the actual coronation, the table is "blessed" by Buddhist monks . On the following day, under the supervision of the monks in the ubosot of Wat Phra Kaeo , the royal scribe engraves all the titles and detailed salutations of the new king on the writing board at a time precisely determined in advance by the royal astrologers. The court brahmins blow their conch horns while the monks recite “sutras of victory”. The royal horoscope is also engraved on a second golden writing board. Then both panels are rolled up and put into a golden tube, which is then placed in a rectangular, golden container. The golden container is placed on a golden tray along with other insignia on the altar of Wat Phra Kaeo, where they will remain until the day of the coronation. Then the golden writing tablet in its case is presented to the king along with the other insignia.
  • In Indo-China, personal paraphernalia used to be generally understood as insignia of the nobility. Officials were given similar items by the king for their transportation. The personal utensils of the king are of course made of a more noble metal - gold - set with precious stones and partly decorated with red and green enamel decorations.
  • The Eight Weapons of Independence seem to be of Siamese historical interest alone, and all seem to refer to a special historical moment - especially in connection with King Naresuan , who is said to have killed the Crown Prince of Burma in 1593 with the "sword with the long handle" . The bow is certainly the weapon with the oldest history, while the disc and the trident are the attributes of the Hindu gods Vishnu and Shiva, they are supposed to symbolize the connection between the king and these two gods. It was also Naresuan who is said to have killed the leader of a Burmese attack force with a single shot with the "rifle of the Satong" across the border river of the same name. These eight weapons are said to have been reproductions at the coronation of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI.) , The real weapons were probably lost in the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767.
    • The "sword of the hostages"
    • The discus
    • The trident
    • The "diamond spear "
    • The "Long Handle Sword"
    • Sword and shield
    • The bow
    • The "rifle of satong"

impressions

For the 60th anniversary of the throne of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX.) In 2006, Ratchadamnoen Boulevard in Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district was festively decorated. Different archways ranged partially over the entire roadway width, different exhibits ( Exhibits ) were placed on the green strip in the middle. While the archways were about history, religion or mythology ("The Naga", "Maha Chakri", "The Nine Gems", ...), the "Exhibits" represented the five royal insignia :

  • The royal sword

  • The royal staff

  • The royal fan and fly whisk

  • Archway "The Nine Gems"

literature

  • HG Quadritch Wales: Siamese State Ceremonies . London 1931, Reprint by Curzon Press, Richmond 1992, ISBN 0-7007-0269-5

Web links

References and comments

  1. ↑ George Groslier: Recherches sur les Cambodgiens . Challamel, Paris 1921
  2. ↑ See พระ มหา พิชัย มงกุฎ in the Thai language Wikipedia
  3. ^ Albert le Bonheur, Jaroslav Poncar: Of Gods, Kings and Men, Bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat and Bayon . Serindia Publications, London 1995, ISBN 0-906026-37-7
  4. ^ Wells: State Ceremonies , p. 100
  5. ^ The Royal Regalia and Royal Utensils of Siam . ( Memento from September 6, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ See also: Zhou Daguan in the English language Wikipedia
  7. ↑ aznforum.com ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aznforum.com
  8. ^ Wells: State Ceremonies , p. 101
  9. ↑ Glossy brochure from the BMA (Bangkok City Council) for the 60th anniversary of the throne of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2006
  10. ↑ See: Don Chedi
  11. ^ Wells: State Ceremonies , p. 106