Thailand crowns King Maha Vajiralongkorn in ornate ceremonies

BANGKOK: Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Saturday completed Buddhist and Brahmin rituals to symbolically transform him into a living god as the Southeast Asian nation crowned its first monarch in nearly seven decades.

The coronation of King Vajiralongkorn, 66, took place inside the Grand Palace throne hall in Bangkok after a period of official mourning for his revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October 2016 having reigned for 70 years.

The king sat on a golden throne under a nine-tiered umbrella to receive royal regalia including a gold-enameled, diamond-tipped crown in ceremonies that mixed glittering pomp with solemn religious rites.

The monarch was joined by new Queen Suthida after a surprise announcement three days before the coronation that the thrice-divorced monarch had married for a fourth time. His coronation comes amid the uncertainty of an unresolved election battle between the current military junta chief and a "democratic front" trying to push the army out of politics. 

"I shall continue, preserve, and build upon the royal legacy and shall reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the people forever," the king said in his first royal command. 

Traditionally uttered after a king is crowned, the king`s first command serves to capture the essence of his reign. The king`s command was similar to that of his father`s. Late in the afternoon, the king was carried in a royal palanquin in a procession from the Grand Palace to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, where yellow-clad Thais awaited his arrival, repeatedly chanting, "Long live the king." 

After 80 Buddhist monks chanted, the king proclaimed himself the Royal Patron of Buddhism: "I will rightfully protect Buddhism forever." Later, King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida will perform a private housewarming ritual at the royal residence in the Grand Palace where they will stay the night, as previous kings have done, ending the first of the three-day coronation ceremonies. 

In his first speech earlier on Saturday to members of the royal family, the Privy Council, and top government officials, among others, the king called for national unity. "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," he said. 

Military junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, the speaker of the army-appointed parliament and the chairman of the Supreme Court - representing the three branches of government - also spoke to express "gratitude" to the king. Prayuth is seeking to stay on as an elected prime minister after the first elections since the military seized power five years ago. Final results of the March 24 vote will be announced after the coronation.

DIVINE MONARCH 

Thai coronation rituals are a mixture of Buddhist and Hindu Brahmin traditions dating back centuries. One of the many official titles King Vajiralongkorn will take is Rama X, or the 10th king of the Chakri dynasty founded in 1782. Saturday`s rituals were about transforming him into a "Devaraja", or a divine embodiment of the gods.

The king received the royal golden plaque containing his name and title, the royal horoscope, and the royal seal, which were made in a three-hour ritual last week. He also received and put on five articles of the royal regalia from the chief Brahmin.

The high-reaching crown, which weighs 7.3 kg (16 lb) symbolises the summit of Mount Meru, the Hindu god Indra`s heavenly abode, and its weight represents the monarch`s royal burden. 

King Vajiralongkorn put the crown on his head himself with the help of court officials, and adjusted it several times during the ceremony. Before the crowning ritual, he appeared dressed in white robes as he underwent a purification ritual, sitting under a canopied fountain that poured consecrated waters over his head. 

The country`s Buddhist Supreme Patriarch also poured sacred waters over the king, followed by Brahmin priests and royal family members. During the ceremonies, the king gave alms to saffron-robed, barefoot monks. 

The monarch also granted Queen Suthida, a former Thai Airways flight attendant and head of his personal bodyguard regiment, her full royal title. Outside the palace walls, people in yellow polo shirts sat on roadsides, holding up portraits of the king and the national flag as 19th-century cannons fired to announce the new reign.

Yellow is the colour of Monday, the day the king was born, and the colour of the sun, which represents the monarch in the cosmos, according to Thai culture. One onlooker, Kanjana Malaithong, told local media she had traveled since 1 a.m. from northern Thailand to witness the ceremony, shown live on big screens outside the palace. "I`m so overjoyed ... There`ll never be another chance like this, it`s a once-in-a-lifetime event," she said. 

During 18 months of his reign so far, King Vajiralongkorn has moved to consolidate the authority of the monarchy, including taking more direct control of the crown`s vast wealth with the help of Thailand`s military government. Thailand ended absolute rule by its kings in 1932, but the monarchy remains highly revered as the divine symbol and protector of the country and Buddhist religion.