A royal funeral chariot is a wheeled vehicle traditionally used to transport the bodies of royalty during funeral processions in some cultures of

Mainland Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

. Today, they remain in use in Thailand and Cambodia.

Thailand

The royal funeral chariots of Thailand were used since the Ayutthaya period, but they were destroyed when Ayutthaya was completely sacked in 1767. New funeral chariots were commissioned during the reign of King Rama I, at the beginning of the Rattanakosin period. They include, among other smaller accompanying vehicles, the two main chariots which have been used to transport the bodies of kings of the

Chakri dynasty The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...

, the Maha Phichai Ratcharot ("Royal Great Victory Carriage" or "Royal Chariot of Great Victory"), built in 1795, and Vejayanta Ratcharot (Named after

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

's chariot Vejayanta), built in 1799. The chariots, built of teak and ornately carved, gilded and decorated, have a tall, tiered design symbolizing Mount Meru surrounded by '' devata'' (angels) and '' nāga''. The chariots are topped with a ''

butsabok A ''busabok'' ( th, บุษบก, ) is a small open structure used in Thai culture as a throne for the monarch or for the enshrinement of Buddha images or other sacred objects. It is square-based and open-sided, usually with twelve indented co ...

'' (open-sided roofed structure) which houses the royal funerary urn containing the royal body. Despite the term used, the "chariots" have four wheels and are pulled by hundreds of men. The Maha Phichai Ratcharot was used for the funeral procession of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October 2017. It was drawn by 216 men. The 13.7 tonne chariot is 18 metres long, 11.2 metres high, and 4.8 metres wide. It has been used 25 times, most recently in 2012 for the cremation of Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda, the late king's cousin. The royal chariots are housed in the Bangkok National Museum and undergo restoration when they are needed for royal funerals. Following custom, The doorsill of the exhibition hall and a section of the museum wall are demolished and a path is laid each time the chariots need to be brought outside. Then the structures are rebuilt and the path removed after the ceremony ends, signifying that their future use is not anticipated. An additional chariot, the Rajarot Puen Yai (''royal gun carriage''), is used only for the cremations of the King in his constitutional duty as

Head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces The Highest Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces ( th, จอมทัพไทย; ) is a position vested in the Thai monarch, who as sovereign and head of state is the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. The position is only ...

(a tradition started by King Vajiravudh on his request to recognize the royal patronage and support for the armed services of the Kingdom, used for the first time in his state cremation in 1926) as the urn carrying his remains is carried in procession around the royal crematorium at the Sanam Luang Royal Plaza thrice before the cremation services begin. The carriage is modeled on those used in the royal and state funerals in the United Kingdom, and was restored yet again in 2017.

References

{{reflist Funeral transport Cambodian monarchy Thai monarchy Wheeled vehicles Human-powered vehicles Collections of the Bangkok National Museum

Thailand

See also

References