Manote Tripathi

Heaven on earth

 

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The crematorium complex is full of Hindu/Buddhist symbolism. Photos courtesy of the Fine Arts Department.

Heaven exists somewhere up there above the clouds according to Buddhist cosmology. To many Thai Buddhists, myself included, Heaven is to be found nowhere else next month, but in Sanam Luang (aka the Royal Main Ground) to the north of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. That’s the spot where the elaborately designed crematorium hall of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) is located. The Royal Cremation ceremonies are scheduled to take place in Sanam Luang between October 25 and 29.

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An artist’s impression of the Royal Crematorium hall of the late and much-loved King Bhumibol (Rama IX).

With work on the crematorium building nearly complete, Thailand’s Fine Arts Department has come up with an artist’s impression of the structure that is incredibly magnificent.

7The Thai monarchy is substantially influenced by the Hindu and Buddhism concepts of cosmology. So is the crematorium complex. It is believed that every Thai monarch is a demi-god who commands total respect from his people and who has a mission to eradicate suffering and give happiness to his subjects for a period of time before his return to heaven.

Royal ceremonies such as the funeral of Rama IX are full of both Buddhist and Hindu symbolism. This is quite amazing considering Thailand’s Theravada Buddhism. But then Hinduism permeates many aspects of Thai culture anyway, like names of the kings and queens. As for the kings of the Chakri Dynasty, they are referred to as Rama, one of the best-known Hindu deities. True to fundamental Hindu beliefs, the royal crematorium hall represents Mount Meru, a sacred mountain with five (or more) peaks that is so high that it reaches heaven, the abode of gods and deities.

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The funeral marks the late King Bhumibol’s return to heaven.

Mount Meru is mentioned in Buddhist and Jain texts (in which it is referred to as Mount Sumeru) and forms part of the Buddhist universe. It is depicted in the Buddhist Mandalas as the centre of the universe. Indra, the lord of the heavens, lives on the top of the mountains while four heavenly kings reside on four sides of the mountain.

With the beloved King’s funeral marking his return to Mount Meru, his crematorium hall is supposedly a grand building. It is designed to symbolise this mount. It will be surrounded by eight pointed-roof pavilions to represent Mount Meru’s surrounding mountains, perfume-laden oceans and continents in accordance with Hindu cosmology.

8The complex is decorated with the Himmapan-creature sculptures. The Himmapan (aka Himavanta) Forest lies at the foot of the sacred mount. Pillars for the royal crematorium will bear Garuda, the vehicle for Lord Vishnu. Images of Narayana, a Hindu god, adorn the whole edifice.

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The crematorium is depicted being surrounded by eight pointed-roof pavilions to represent Mount Meru’s surrounding mountains, perfume-laden oceans and continents

In the case of Rama IX, his crematorium complex is designed to have nine spires symbolising his Ninth Reign. Towering 50.49 metres in the air, it will be the highest of any such structures since the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV). Sill remember that book by the English governess in the Siamese court Anna Leonowens?  

The late King Bhumibol’s funeral may bring great sadness to the entire nation, but Buddhists believe that it is also an occasion to celebrate the return of the deceased king as a god to heaven.

The writer would like to thank the Fine Arts Department in Bangkok for providing the photos.

Published by Manote Tripathi

Manote (aka Manoj) Tripathi spent two decades as a journalist, editor and feature writer with a multimedia giant in Thailand before switching his career towards media content production. He’s a trained specialist on Britain. As a journalist at The Nation, Thailand’s national English-language daily, which he joined in 1993, he held senior positions on the paper’s writing side, including leading its highly respected “Sunday Focus” features section known for its authoritative coverage of Thailand. His body of work spans the plight of illegal Burmese migrants in Thailand; corruption; forced prostitution; the problems of once-revered elephants; the rising gap between rich and poor during Thailand’s boom years; the book world; and food and drink. His writings introduced influential thinkers: Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, golfer Greg Norman, conductor Zubin Mehta, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, Nobel laureate VS Naipaul and new age guru Deepak Chopra. His coverage of the book world resulted in an array of interviews with such literary titans as Pico Iyer, Patricia Cornwell, William Dalrymple, Simon Winchester, Justin Wintle, and Vikas Swarup of Slumdog Millionaire fame. He spent two years in Yangon, Myanmar, helping The Nation set up the English section of Myanmar’s Eleven Media Group. In 2005, he won a Chevening Scholarship, a UK government scholarship scheme. Manote holds a Master’s in Modern British History (Victoria to Blair) from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a BA in English Literature (Thammasat University, Bangkok).

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