• TOURISM & CULTURE
  • ADVERTISEMENT

Latest News

  • All Religions Prayer for World Peace and Special Talk on Inter-religious Harmony
  • A national-treasure pagoda at Yakushiji, a Buddhist temple listed as a World Heritage site opened in Nara
  • State Vesak festival to be held in Jaffna this year
  • Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit Pakistan
  • The annual Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) Buddhist Festival in Hanoi
  • Home
  • ABOUT US
  • BUDDHIST HISTORY
    • BUDDHISM MESSAGES
    • Message by PM Narendra Modi
  • BUDDHIST CIRCUIT
  • BUDDHIST MONKS
  • MONASTRIES
  • BODH GAYA
  • MCLEOD GANJ

Thailand Crowns New King in Elaborate Buddhist and Brahmin Rituals

May 07, 2019 developer3.matrixwebstudio BREAKING NEWS, TOP NEWS Comments Off on Thailand Crowns New King in Elaborate Buddhist and Brahmin Rituals


By  Shyamal Sinha

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn undergoes a purification ritual before being crowned. From reuters.com

Concluding an elaborate series of Buddhist and Brahmin ceremonies and rituals spread over three days, Thailand completed the formal coronation of its new king, Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X as the 10th monarch of the Chakri dynasty, which has ruled the kingdom since 1782. In his first royal command, the new monarch proclaimed: “I shall continue, preserve, and build upon the royal legacy and shall reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the people forever.” (Reuters)

Sixty-six-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn (b. 28 July 1952)—his formal reigning title is Phrabat Somdet Phra Vajira Klao Chao Yu Hua—ascended to the throne in October 2016, after the death of his father, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (r. 1946–2016). The coronation date was set following a period of official mourning for his revered father.

The pomp and pageantry began on Saturday at the auspicious time of 10:09, when the king, dressed in white robes, sat beneath a canopied fountain for a purification ritual. Thailand’s most senior Buddhist monk, the supreme patriarch, poured consecrated waters over the king, followed by Brahmin priests, and members of the royal family.

The solemn main coronation ceremony was held in the throne hall of Bangkok’s famed Grand Palace complex, home to the royal court until 1925. Amid formal religious rituals, the king, the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his consort Queen Sirikit, was enthroned beneath a nine-tiered umbrella, where he was presented with elaborate symbolic royal regalia—the 7.3-kilogram, diamond-tipped Great Crown of Victory, the Royal Slippers, the Royal Fan and Fly Whisk, the Royal Sword of Victory, and the Royal Scepter.

Queen Suthida kneels before King Maha Vajiralongkorn, dressed in full royal regalia. From theguardian.com

A royal procession was held later in the day, bearing the king on a royal palanquin from the Grand Palace to Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, where the monarch proclaimed himself the protector of Buddhism in Thailand before 80 chanting monks, stating: “I will rightfully protect Buddhism forever.” (Reuters)

Also in attendance was the new Queen Suthida, a former Thai Airways flight attendant, who received her full royal title, following a surprise announcement just three days before the coronation that the monarch had married for a fourth time. In his first address on Saturday to members of the royal family, the Privy Council, and top government officials, the king called for unity amid a protracted period of political uncertainty in Thailand.

“I invite everyone here and all Thai people to share my determination and work together, each according to his status and duty, with the nation’s prosperity and the people’s happiness as the ultimate goals,” the monarch said. (Reuters)

Well-wishers flocked to the streets on Sunday for a royal procession in which the king, after granting new royal titles to members of the royal family, was borne upon a gilded palanquin along a seven-kilometer route through the streets of the city from the Grand Palace to three royal Buddhist temples: Wat Bovoranives, Wat Rajabopidh, and Wat Phra Chetuphon, where he prostrated before the main Buddha images and offered alms to monks.

Earlier on Monday, Thailand’s king and queen greeted the public from the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace before holding an audience with foreign diplomats.

The elaborate and ornate Buddhist and Brahmin traditions, staged at an estimated cost of 1 billion baht (US$31.4 million), reflected the ancient cultural and spiritual influence of India, with the three-day process representing the monarch’s transformation from a member of the royal family to a semi-divine “Devaraja.”

Since becoming king, Vajiralongkorn has moved to consolidate the authority of the monarchy, including a firmer hand in the managing of the crown’s vast wealth, with the help of the country’s military government. Although absolute anarchy in Thailand ended in 1932, the kingdom’s strict lèse majesté laws mean criticism of the king and other members of royal family is forbidden, with hefty fines and prison sentences meted out to offenders.

The coronation comes during a time of political upheaval for Thailand, with growing public discontent toward the self-appointed military junta that has governed the kingdom since a coup d’état in 2014. The country held its first general election since the coup on 24 March, however the outcome of the poll remains uncertain as the authorities have repeatedly delayed announcing the official final results amid criticisms of errors and irregularities.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn is transported by royal palanquin to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. From theguardian.com

The coronation comes more than two years after King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne with the passing of his father. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (r. 1946–2016) passed away on 13 October 2016 at the age of 88, following many years of ill health. The late king, also known as Rama IX, was the world’s longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history, having sat on the throne for more than 70 years. Widely loved and respected in Thailand, he was seen as a unifying figure of stability in the country that has struggled through decades of political instability punctuated by numerous military coups.

Thailand is predominantly a Theravada Buddhist country, with 94.5 per cent of the kingdom’s population of 69 million identifying as Buddhists, according to census data for 2015. The next most prominent religion is Islam, representing 4.29 per cent.

source — Buddhistdoor Global

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Email this to someone
email
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

  • tweet
Former Botswana President appeals for united effort to back CTA His Holiness the Dalai Lama Congratulates Japan’s New Emperor Naruhito

Related articles
  • All Religions Prayer for World Peace and Special Talk on Inter-religious Harmony
    All Religions Prayer for World Peace...

    Mar 04, 2021 Comments Off on All Religions Prayer for World Peace and Special Talk on Inter-religious Harmony

  • A national-treasure pagoda at Yakushiji, a Buddhist temple listed as a World Heritage site opened in Nara
    A national-treasure pagoda at...

    Mar 02, 2021 Comments Off on A national-treasure pagoda at Yakushiji, a Buddhist temple listed as a World Heritage site opened in Nara

  • State Vesak festival to be held in Jaffna this year
    State Vesak festival to be held in...

    Feb 27, 2021 Comments Off on State Vesak festival to be held in Jaffna this year

  • Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit Pakistan
    Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists...

    Feb 25, 2021 Comments Off on Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit Pakistan

More in this category
  • All Religions Prayer for World Peace and Special Talk on Inter-religious Harmony
    All Religions Prayer for World Peace...

    Mar 04, 2021 Comments Off on All Religions Prayer for World Peace and Special Talk on Inter-religious Harmony

  • A national-treasure pagoda at Yakushiji, a Buddhist temple listed as a World Heritage site opened in Nara
    A national-treasure pagoda at...

    Mar 02, 2021 Comments Off on A national-treasure pagoda at Yakushiji, a Buddhist temple listed as a World Heritage site opened in Nara

  • State Vesak festival to be held in Jaffna this year
    State Vesak festival to be held in...

    Feb 27, 2021 Comments Off on State Vesak festival to be held in Jaffna this year

  • Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit Pakistan
    Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists...

    Feb 25, 2021 Comments Off on Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit Pakistan


VIDEO NEWS

WEEK IN VIDEO

BUDDHIST CUISINE

  • Buddhist Cuisine-5

    Buddhist Cuisine-5

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Buddhist Cuisine-4

    Buddhist Cuisine-4

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Buddhist Cuisine-3

    Buddhist Cuisine-3

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Buddhist Cuisine-2

    Buddhist Cuisine-2

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Buddhist Cuisine-1

    Buddhist Cuisine-1

    Aug 01, 2019

Mantra Om Mani Padme Hum

Intl Chanting Ceremony Bodhgaya 2019

gallery img (60)
gallery img (47)
gallery img (35)
gallery img (15)
gallery img (38)
gallery img (49)
gallery img (41)
gallery img (27)
gallery img (58)
gallery img (55)
gallery img (53)
gallery img (51)
gallery img (50)
gallery img (46)
gallery img (44)
gallery img (43)
gallery img (42)
gallery img (40)
gallery img (37)
gallery img (33)
gallery img (32)
gallery img (31)
gallery img (30)
gallery img (29)
gallery img (26)
gallery img (24)
gallery img (23)
gallery img (22)
gallery img (21)
gallery img (20)
gallery img (19)
gallery img (18)
gallery img (17)
gallery img (16)
gallery img (14)
gallery img (13)
gallery img (12)
gallery img (11)
gallery img (8)
gallery img (6)
gallery img (5)
gallery img (4)
gallery img (2)
gallery img (1)
gallery img (62)
gallery img (28)
DSC_0180
DSCF7503
DSCF7483
DSCF7475
DSC_0077
DSC_0130

GALLERY

  • Ven. Lama Lobzang -15 January 2016

    Ven. Lama Lobzang -15 January 2016

    Jan 16, 2016
  • Launch buddhisttimes.news at Greater Noida

    Launch buddhisttimes.news at Greater Noida

    Jan 16, 2016
  • Buddhism in Japan

    Buddhism in Japan

    Jan 15, 2016
  • Jan 09, 2016
  • Jan 09, 2016
  • Jan 09, 2016
  • Jan 09, 2016
  • Jan 09, 2016
  • Jan 09, 2016
  • Jan 09, 2016
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015
  • Dec 30, 2015

Weather

+39
°
C

+39°
+27°

Bodh Gaya
Saturday, 30

See 7-Day Forecast

NOTICE

  • Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, Former Personal Physician to the Dalai Lama, Dies
    Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, Former Personal Physician to the Dalai...

    Nov 27, 2019 Comments Off on Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, Former Personal Physician to the Dalai Lama, Dies

    By  Staff writer Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, 1927–2019....
  • Former Rigpa Head Sogyal Rinpoche Passes Away in Thailand
    Former Rigpa Head Sogyal Rinpoche Passes Away in Thailand

    Aug 29, 2019 Comments Off on Former Rigpa Head Sogyal Rinpoche Passes Away in Thailand

    By Staff Writer On behalf of all members of the...
  • Passing of World-renowned Scholar Jao Tsung-I Mourned
    Passing of World-renowned Scholar Jao Tsung-I Mourned

    Feb 07, 2018 Comments Off on Passing of World-renowned Scholar Jao Tsung-I Mourned

    By Staff Writer On behalf of all members of the...
  • Respected Tibetan Teacher Kyabje Gelek Rinpoche Dies
    Respected Tibetan Teacher Kyabje Gelek Rinpoche Dies

    Feb 17, 2017 Comments Off on Respected Tibetan Teacher Kyabje Gelek Rinpoche Dies

    Respected Tibetan Teacher Kyabje Gelek Rinpoche On behalf...
  • Condolence message on the demise of Ven. Anamaduwe Sri Dhammadassi NayakeThero
    Condolence message on the demise of Ven. Anamaduwe Sri...

    Jun 27, 2016 Comments Off on Condolence message on the demise of Ven. Anamaduwe Sri Dhammadassi NayakeThero

    Ven. Anamaduwe Sri Dhammadassi NayakeThero General...

Inauguration

  • Inauguration 7

    Inauguration 7

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Inauguration 6

    Inauguration 6

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Inauguration 5

    Inauguration 5

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Inauguration 4

    Inauguration 4

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Inauguration 3

    Inauguration 3

    Aug 01, 2019
  • Inauguration 2

    Inauguration 2

    Aug 01, 2019
Copyright budhisttimes.news 2019-20 | All Rights Reserved
Developed & Maintained By Shyamal Sinha Web Design Delhi Web Design Agency in Delhi Web Desinging Services in India Best Website Portfolio Creative Website Desinging Agency in Delhi Web Desinging Comapny India Custom Web Application Development Comapny Wordpress Website Designing Logo Desinging in Delhi Internet Marketing Company Mobile Application Development
  • TECH & SCIENCE
  • BUDDHIST ART/MUSIC
  • UPCOMING PROGRAM