National emblem of Thailand

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National emblem of Thailand

Thailand does not actually have a coat of arms . However, there is a national emblem ( Thai ตรา แผ่นดิน ของ ไทย , pronunciation: [ traː pʰːɛ̀ndin kʰɔ̌ːŋ tʰaj ]) that fulfills the function of the national emblem . It shows a Garuda , a hybrid creature of eagles and humans from Indian mythology and was introduced in 1893 by King Rama V (Chulalongkorn). Before that, from 1873 on, there was only the king's personal coat of arms. Because the country was an absolute monarchy at the time , it also had a quasi state character.

Garuda as the state seal

In 1893, King Chulalongkorn introduced the Garuda , a mythological eagle that appears as a bird of gods in Hindu myths, as a state symbol (Thai: ตรา แผ่นดิน ) . At that time Thailand was still called Siam . A seal with the representation of Garuda was designed by Prince Naris ( เจ้าฟ้า กรม พระยา นริศ รา นุ วัด ติ วงศ์ ) on behalf of the king , but it is in a slightly different form on official communications from the Thai government, notices in the "Royal Gazette" as well as the "Government Gazette" mainly used since 1910.

The Thai Garuda is a hybrid creature with a human torso and an eagle-like head, who wears a golden Thai crown ( Mongkut ). On the Thai seals it shows seven tapered feathers on its right and left wing. The hands on the outstretched human arms are angled upwards, the fingertips point at an angle of 45 ° (or 225 °) to the tip of the crown. He wears a gold necklace around his neck, which is connected with a gold chest band. A kind of apron made of blue cloth is held by a golden belt. The lower body, legs and feet are those of a bird. The nine tail feathers are clearly set apart from each other, they are also pointed.

The upper body and head are white, sometimes red, the feathered parts of the body are usually shown in red.

As a special honor, companies can receive the privilege of displaying the Garuda at their headquarters.

Coat of arms of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn) of Siam, 1873–1910

Coat of arms of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn), 1873–1910

The coat of arms presented by King Rama V (Chulalongkorn) in 1873 was designed by Prince Pravich Chumsai. Rama V, who visited Europe twice, modernized his country and introduced many of the European traditions at court, including the use of coats of arms . It is arranged symmetrically to the central axis. It shows the following individual symbols:

  • At the top is the Great Crown of Victory (Thai: พระ มหา พิชัย มงกุฎ ), the most important of the royal regalia and a symbol of royal dignity.
  • The symbol of the Chakri family is shown directly under the crown , a disc (chakra) with the tri , the three-bladed sword. These two symbols together represent the kings of the Chakri dynasty.
  • The crown is flanked by two seven-tiered umbrellas, which are also a royal symbol.
  • Two other royal insignia are shown on the top right and left:
    • the royal sword of victory (Thai: พระ มหา พิชัย มงกุฎ )
    • and the royal staff (Thai: พระ ธารพระกร ).
  • On an extended royal robe is sign of two mythological fable animals held :
    • to the left of a Rajasiha (Thai: ราชสีห์ , Ratchasi ; "Lion King", hybrid of lion, dragon and bird), who stands for officialdom,
    • and to the right of a Gajasiha (Thai: คชสีห์ , Khotchasi ; "elephant lion", lion with elephant trunk and tusks), which is supposed to symbolize the army.
  • The shield itself is divided into three parts.
    • The upper third is occupied by the Thai part of the kingdom, a three-headed elephant, the Erawan . The three heads are supposed to symbolize the north, the south and central Thailand.
    • On the lower left third there is a white elephant for the colony of Laos at the time,
    • the two kris in the right third represent the colony of Malaysia.
  • Below the shield, the Noparatana Rajavaraporn necklace is shown on a blue background , a jeweled chain worn by the Chakri kings at their coronation.
  • A Chula-Chom-Klao order is depicted below the necklace .
  • The banner at the very bottom bears an inscription in the Pali language, the language of the Buddhist Sangha . It is written in Thai characters and means something like: Unity brings happiness .

The successor of King Chulalongkorn, King Vajiravudh (Rama VI.) , No longer used this coat of arms with his inauguration. However, Thai police officers still wear it on their headgear.

Province coat of arms

The regional governments of the Thai provinces ( Changwat ) each have their own seal. See the respective articles:

Web links

Commons : Coat of Arms of Thailand  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alexandra R. Kapur-Fic: Thailand. Buddhism, Society, and Women. Abhinav Publications, New Delhi 1998, p. 20.