The coronation of the Thai monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of Thailand is formally consecrated by anointment and crowning. The ceremony is divided into two main events: the coronation rites and the celebration of the Assumption of the Residence. The coronation rites are a blend of Hindu and Buddhist traditions dating back several centuries. The rites included the purification bath of the king, the anointing of the king (based on the ancient ritual of Abhisheka), the crowning of the king, and the investiture of the royal regalia, the royal utensils, and the royal weapons of sovereignty. The Assumption of the Residence is a private housewarming celebration by members of the royal family at the Grand Palace.
Historically, the coronation usually took place as soon as possible after the death of the previous monarch. This followed the custom that an unconsecrated king cannot bear certain regalia nor carry out any religious functions. However, in the last century this tradition has been replaced by a mourning period of about a year after the succession as their powers and legitimacy are already guaranteed by the constitution. The most recent coronation of Vajiralongkorn was held on 4 May 2019.
Symbolism The Thai language term for the coronation is Rachaphisek (ราชาภิเษก) or Rajyabhisheka (राज्याभिषेक), a Vedic term for an anointment (see Abhisheka) of a monarch. The term preserves the fact that the anointment was once the most essential component of the ceremony. Today, however, the Thai coronation ceremony incorporates many rites including the anointment, the enthronement, the crowning, and the investiture of the monarch.
The succession of a Thai king is not automatic, and was not formally codified until the 1924 Palace Law of Succession. Prior to this, the right of succession was based on many factors and was not always natural. Usurpation and violence were commonly employed to obtain the throne. As a result, the rite of coronation is important in legalising and legitimising the claimant's accession to kingship.
Ancient custom dictates that the heir to the last king rule only as a regent and not as a king until he is officially consecrated. An unconsecrated king is not considered qualified to carry out the divine and priestly function of a Devarāja (or God-king). Until the coronation rites are completed the new king must exclude the prefix Phrabat (พระบาท) from his royal title, he cannot enact a royal command, nor sit under the nine-tiered umbrella (he must make do with only seven tiers). As a result, it was customary for a king to go through the coronation ceremonies as soon as he had succeeded to the throne.
History
Ancient ceremony The earliest forms of coronation in Southeast Asia were derived from those of ancient India. The present Thai coronation ceremony is a blend of Hindu and Buddhist traditions, which were transferred to the Initial states of Thailand from three different sources: the Hindu civilisations of Srivijaya from the 8th to 12th centuries; the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the mid-14th century; and the Mon Buddhist Thaton Kingdom from the 3rd century BC to the 11th century.
The Sukhothai Kingdom (13th century to 15th century), which seceded from the Khmer Empire in 1238, mentioned the process of anointment (Abhisheka) of their first monarchs, explaining that Si Inthrathit (then titled Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao) was anointed by Pha Mueang, who had himself had been anointed earlier by Indravarman II, the Khmer king.
Despite the growth of Buddhism as the main religion of the Thai kingdoms, the existence of Hinduism and the exalted role of the Brahmin caste was not diminished. Although the kings were Buddhists they surrounded themselves with the accoutrements of Khmer royalty, including the services of court Brahmins. Buddhism was considered the religion of the people, while Hinduism (in particular Shaivism) was suitable only for royalty. However, the king must defend both.
Ayutthaya Kingdom The Sukhothai state was absorbed into the Ayutthaya Kingdom (14th century to 1767) around the 15th century. During this period the coronation of the kings of Ayutthaya was sometimes termed an Indraphisek (อินทราภิเษก) to emphasize the religious aspects of the anointment, where the god Indra was invited to manifest into the person of the king. This ceremony was undoubtedly Hindu and was performed by the court Brahmins. The ceremony also included elements of a Rajasuya. After the anointment, the chief nobles would then present the king with the different elements of his realm, namely the people, the capital city, the troops, the boats, the paddy fields and the treasury. The term Abhisheka itself was first used in the Royal Chronicle in 1480. The ceremony was supposedly held over twenty-one days, excluding a month of theatrical performances, which showed its importance.
When the capital city was sacked in 1767 by the Burmese troops of the Konbaung dynasty in the war of 1765, most of the records about royal ceremonies were destroyed. The successive Thonburi Kingdom (1768–1782) had little time for royal ceremony, and its only monarch, King Taksin, never had a coronation ceremony. Nevertheless, the king tried to restore some of the old rites when he invited some Brahmins from Nakhon Si Thammarat to his court.
Early Rattanakosin When King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) established the Rattanakosin Kingdom with Bangkok as the capital in 1782, he performed a provisional coronation ceremony, often referred to in historical records as a Prapdaphisek (ปราบดาภิเษก). This was described as the anointment of someone who had obtained power successfully by force. The King was intent on recovering the lost royal traditions of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. A royal decree about royal ceremonies in 1782 laid out how the King wished things to be done: "His Majesty wishes that things be carried out as in [the time of] King Borommakot, and not like Phraya Taksin." Under the stewardship of Chao Phraya Bibidhabijai (เจ้าพระยาเพชรพิชัย), a former official of the King of Ayutthaya, a committee of officials and monks created a manual of the royal ceremonies of the court, including the coronation ceremony. At the same time, he ordered the creation of a new set of the royal regalia and utensils. In 1785, after the construction of the Grand Palace was finished, a second full coronation ceremony was completed in accordance with tradition. It is on this ceremony that all subsequent coronations are modelled. The king also established the Devasathan or the Brahman temple, near Wat Suthat, as a religious centre so the Brahmins could continue to perform and officiate royal ceremonies at the court.
The coronations of King Phutthaloetla Naphalai (Rama II) and King Nangklao (Rama III), in 1809 and 1824, followed closely those of Rama I, with no deviation recorded. When King Mongkut (Rama IV) came to the throne in 1851, new elements were included in the coronation ceremony. Since ancient times, the anointment ceremony alone was considered the supreme event of the coronation. Under King Rama IV, the crowning of the monarch became its equal, if not more important. This was due to the influence of European coronations. The King also increased the role of the Buddhist Sangha within the ceremony by incorporating the recitation of the Paritta Suttas into the hitherto Hindu ceremony. Of note was a letter to the editor of The Straits Times written by Dan Beach Bradley, an American missionary living in Bangkok, that in 1851, before his coronation, the King, "...styles himself now the President or Acting King of Siam."
King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) ascended to the throne at the age of 15, under the regency of Somdet Chaophraya Sri Suriwongse. He was given no political power, but was crowned with a full ceremony on 11 November 1868, only a month after the death of King Rama IV. When he attained majority at the age of 20, the King underwent another coronation ceremony on 16 November 1873. For King Rama V, the second coronation was vital in legitimising his reign, not only in the eyes of the populace and the nobility, but also to those of the Western colonial powers. The King took the opportunity of the general audience at the end of his second coronation to make a remarkable announcement, as recalled by Sir Andrew Clarke, the governor of the Straits Settlements: "The King delivered an address and, at the end of it, announced the abolition of the practice at his Court of kowtowing and lying down in the royal presence. As the words passed his lips, the recumbent figures rose, and the effect was described by those present as most impressive."
Modern coronations
King Rama V died on 23 October 1910. On 11 November, his son King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) decided to have a solemn ceremony, stripped to its bare essentials, with the anointment and the crowning at the apex of the coronation. The King had decided beforehand to host another coronation ceremony in a year's time. He wanted to invite members of foreign royal families to join him, and to enjoy the festivities without disturbing the customary period of mourning for his father. The second coronation began on 28 November 1911 and continued for thirteen days. Representatives from fourteen different countries attended, including Prince Alexander of Teck of Great Britain, Grand Duke Boris of Russia, Prince Nicholas of Greece, Prince Valdemar of Denmark, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, and Prince Fushimi-no-miya of Japan. The second event was a much more elaborate affair, including the state progress by land and water, banquets for foreign guests, and parades and fairs for the public. The event cost the state or 20.87 billion baht adjusted for inflation (originally budgeted at only or 2.13 billion baht adjusted for inflation), while the first coronation cost only or 427 million baht adjusted for inflation. The colossal sum spent was double the cost of the coronation of King George V of the United Kingdom, held earlier the same year. Despite this, the festivities were judged a success and were lauded by the foreign press.
King Prajadhipok (Rama VII)'s coronation ceremony was scheduled for 25 February 1926. Unlike his predecessors, he wanted to wait until after the royal funeral and mourning period of the previous king (his brother had died on 26 November 1925) had come to an end. The coronation ceremony took three days, the state progress on land then took place on 1 March and the state progress on water on 3 March. Prince Devawongse Varopakarn wrote to the Japanese ambassador that King Rama VII's coronation ceremony: "Will only be one ceremony, for reasons of economy, and it will be on a simpler scale than hitherto. Special envoys from foreign countries have not been invited, but there will be no objection to the foreign envoys already in this country being so appointed for the occasion." Nevertheless, envoys from forty-seven different countries attended, and the ceremonies were completed in full. For the first time a book and several photographs of the ceremony were published by the Royal Household. An 11 minutes and 8 second silent film of the coronation ceremonies was made by the Royal State Railways of Siam with intertitles in both Thai and English.
Constitutional monarchy