The Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella (: ''Nopphapadon Mahasawettachat'', officially called the Nine-Tiered Great White Umbrella of State) is considered the most sacred and ancient of the

royal regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. A royal

umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...

(also called a ''

chatra Chatra is the headquarters of Chatra district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. History Chatra was the “headquarters” of Ramgarh district in the 18th-19th century. The renowned reformer, Raja Rammohan Roy, was ''sheristadar'' in Ramgarh di ...

'') consists of many tiers, five for the prince, seven for the

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the w ...

(or the

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

) and unconsecrated king, and nine for a fully sovereign and crowned

Thai king The monarchy of Thailand (whose monarch is referred to as the king of Thailand; th, พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, or historically, king of Siam; th, พระมหากษัตริย์สยาม) refers to the ...

. Until the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

rites are completed the new king will not be able to sit on the

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the mon ...

under the nine-tiered umbrella.

Description

The umbrella's shades are made of white silk trimmed with gold, attached to a gilded golden stem. The umbrellas are usually displayed above an important

in the royal palace (similar to a

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from it, baldacchino), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over hi ...

). The umbrellas themselves are considered sacred objects and receive offerings from the king on the anniversary of his coronation day. There are currently seven such umbrellas, with six distributed at the various throne halls in the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace ( th, พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. .) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Ba ...

and one in the

Dusit Palace Dusit Palace ( th, พระราชวังดุสิต, RTGS: ''Phra Ratcha Wang Dusit'') is a compound of royal residences in Bangkok, Thailand. Constructed over a large area north of Rattanakosin Island between 1897 and 1901 by King Ch ...

. Derived from ancient

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

beliefs, the umbrella symbolises the spiritual and physical protection the king can give to his subjects. The multiple tiers symbolise the accumulation of honour and merit the king may possess. During the coronation ceremony of the Thai monarch, at one point before the king is crowned, the Chief Court

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

will approach the king and hand him the nine-tiered white umbrella. The king will accept it and hand it over to a royal page, who will position it above the throne that the king will sit on to be crowned. A mantra is then invoked by the other Brahmins, to fanfare and music. On the anniversary of the king's coronation day, a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

called the Coronation Day (วันฉัตรมงคล: Wan Chantra Mongkol) or literally 'the day of the blessing of the umbrella' is celebrated in Thailand. The day will involve the king himself carrying out certain rites in remembrance of his consecration. The main ceremony being a benediction service by monks inside the Amarin Winitchai throne hall, where the royal regalia, royal utensils and royal weapons are displayed on the Phuttan Kanchanasinghat Throne. The court Brahmin would then chant a

mantra A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...

, in the presence of the king, and perform a

circumambulation Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in S ...

of the nine-tiered umbrella. Gold and silver flowers will then be offered to the spirits protecting the throne, followed by the tying of a strip of red cloth around the umbrella's stem and ending the service by the sprinkling of lustral water on the royal regalia. For King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; ( Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Grea ...

the celebration usually involves a general audience, where he would appear in state seated on the throne under the nine-tiered umbrella to receive well wishes. After his death the public holiday (on 5 May) was cancelled by the government.

Location

There are currently eight umbrellas, six in the

and two in the

. # Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall; above the ''Phuttan Kanchanasinghat'' Throne # Phaisan Thaksin Throne Hall; above the ''Phatharabit'' Throne # Chakkraphat Phiman Residential Hall; above the Royal canopy bed # Also in the Chakkraphat Phiman Residential Hall; above the Royal couch #

Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall The Grand Palace ( th, พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. .) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Ban ...

; usually above the Mother-of-Pearl Throne # Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall; above the ''Bhudthan Thom'' Throne #

Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall ( th, พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม : ''Phra Thinang Anantasamakhom'': translated as 'The place of immense gathering'Noobanjong, page 167) is a royal reception hall in Dusit Palace in ...

; Dusit Palace; above the Royal Throne # Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall; Dusit Palace; above the Royal Throne

Gallery

File:King Bhumibol coronation audience 5 May 1950.jpg, Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall: King

sitting under the umbrella on his coronation day, 5 May 1950 File:Investiture of Queen Sirikit 1.jpg, Phaisan Thaksin Throne Hall: King Bhumibol Adulyadej installing

Sirikit Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born '' Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was Queen of Thailand as the wi ...

as Queen after his own coronation File:Canopy Bed of the King at the Chakraphat Phiman Hall.jpg, Chakkraphat Phiman Residential Hall: Canopy bed of King

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...

, an umbrella hangs over this bed File:Bed and Privy Chamber of the Chakraphat Phiman Hall.jpg, Chakkraphat Phiman Residential Hall: Royal couch of King Rama I, another umbrella hangs over this room File:Gran Palacio, Bangkok, Tailandia, 2013-08-22, DD 71.jpg, Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall: Umbrella over the Mother-of-Pearl Throne in the Dusit Maha Prasat Hall File:The granting of Siam's 'permanent' constitution.jpg, Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall: King

Prajadhipok Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and ...

signing the first constitution of Siam on 10 December 1932

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{citation, last=Quaritch Wales , first=H. G. , authorlink=Horace Geoffrey Quaritch Wales , url=https://archive.org/details/siamesestatecere030661mbp , title=Siamese State Ceremonies: Their History and Function , year=1931 , publisher=

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

, location=London, United Kingdom , isbn=0853880077

External links

Information in Thai
Regalia of Thailand Umbrellas Thai culture Thrones

Description

Location

Gallery

See also

References

External links