Crowds were building on the streets of Bangkok Thursday as the country began an elaborate five-day farewell to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled the country for 70 years.
The ceremony for the world’s longest-reigning monarch began late Wednesday, but crowds were expected to peak Thursday as the king’s body is moved to the Royal Crematorium, a three-tier, 50-meter (165-foot) high golden funeral pyre.
Bhumibol died aged 88 on October 13, 2016. Also known as Rama IX — a reference to his lineage stretching from Rama I, the founder of the Chakri dynasty — the King commanded great love and respect within Thailand.
People started taking viewing positions on the streets more than a day before the ceremony. Jirapa Kaewin came to Bangkok with her twin 18-year-old daughters and had been in line since midnight.
“At first we thought we might not come because around my home there is an event organized for the King,” she said, “but I thought, this is once in a lifetime, so we have to come.”
Kaewin is from the neighboring province of Samut Prakan, where she works at a cosmetics company.
“I wanted to come earlier but had to work yesterday,” she said. “We tried to get as close as possible.”
Bhumibol’s funeral will be attended by dignitaries and royal families from 42 countries including US Defense Secretary James Mattis, Britain’s Duke of York Prince Andrew, Japan’s Prince Akishino and royalty from Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Sweden.
A budget of three billion Thai baht ($90 million) has been allocated for the funeral, and Thursday has been declared a public holiday to allow Thais the opportunity to pay their final respects. The nation’s police force — some 230,000 officers — will on duty to contain the crowds.
The former king was immensely popular during his reign, with his portrait being hung, adorned with marigolds, everywhere from Bangkok office lobbies to the poorest of rural homes.
The pyre
Built to resemble the sacred center of the Hindu universe, Mount Meru, the centerpiece of the funeral is an ornate funeral pyre called the Royal Crematorium which has been erected in central Bangkok, next to the Grand Palace.
More than 500 statues, on which sculptors have been working daily for almost a year, have been created for ceremonies around the country; some of these statues will adorn the intricate tower.
While Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, many elements of the funeral draw on Hindu traditions.
In addition to religious references, the artworks depict a variety of real-life scenes and figures, such as infrastructure projects built during Bhumibol’s reign and his two favorite dogs, Tongdaeng and Jo Cho.
Proceedings
On Thursday, Bhumibol’s body will be transported to the crematorium from the Grand Palace, where it has lain since his death last October.
The procession of honor, called Rew Khabuan, will take the form of six processions and will involve 5,613 personnel in “colorful traditional uniforms.”
Thursday’s ceremony will start at 4.30 p.m. local time but the actual cremation won’t take place until late in the evening.
Several roads will be closed to traffic Thursday, including those around Bangkok’s Sanam Luang area. Banks and shops are expected to close across the country.
Public transportation will be free on October 26 to help the masses of mourners expected to descend on the Thai capital and the streets surrounding the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang.
The past year
Last year, according to police estimates, more than 100,000 people watched as the King’s body was taken from the hospital where he died to the Grand Palace where he lay in state.
In the months since his death, many Thais have worn black, or “somber-colored” attire, for the official period of mourning, and more than 12 million have visited the palace to pay their respects.
The funeral is set to be the biggest in living memory, and “will be one of the most touching and elaborate cremation ceremonies ever seen in Thailand,” according to an official guide.
Funeral rites will be “carried out in accordance with age-old traditions, handed down from generation to generation as part of the national cultural heritage,” the guide says.
Across Thailand
Thais across the country will pause to remember the monarch.
As many as 85 replicas of the Royal Crematorium have been constructed — one for each of Thailand’s 76 provinces and nine for the Special Administrative Region of Bangkok.
In addition, more than 800 sites have been designated across the country, where subjects will be able to present flowers carved from sandalwood — a traditional tribute to a deceased monarch.
During his reign, Bhumibol skillfully charted a course that put the monarchy at the center of Thai society, acting as a force for community and tradition even as the country lurched between political crises and more than a dozen military coups, both attempted and successful.
He acceded to the throne in 1946 in the aftermath of Thailand’s occupation by Japan during World War II.
He reigned over more than 20 prime ministers and many constitutional changes. He also helped the country navigate the disruptive effects of the Vietnam War during the 1960s and 70s.
For most Thais, he is the only monarch they have ever known, and before his death, analysts expressed concern that his passing will remove a vital point of unity in an increasingly divided country.
He’s succeeded by his son, King Rama V or King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who proclaimed the throne on December 1, 2016.
