Prostrating themselves, thousands of Thais dressed in black wept as the body of their former king Bhumibol Adulyadej, a man revered as a demigod who became the world’s longest-reigning monarch, was carried by chariot to the cremation pyre.
Despite monsoon-season downpours punctuated with searing subtropical temperatures, many mourners have spent days in tents hoping to be close to the official send-off for the ninth head of the Chakri dynasty on Thursday.
Hotels had been booked up weeks before the special day, which was declared a national holiday, and authorities prepared for a quarter of a million people to arrive.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the son of the former sovereign, was to perform the service at the three-tiered crematorium, which represents Mount Meru, the centre of the Hindu and Buddhist universe where it is believed Thai royals return after death.
The country’s top artisans have spent 10 months constructing the spectacular 50-metre-tall, golden crematorium. Its nine-gilded spire structure has been adorned with images from mythology and the life of the king, including statues of his two favourite dogs.
A day-long grand procession of royal chariots and palanquins carried by people included the great victory chariot, a four-wheeled, 13-tonne vehicle that transported the king’s body to the crematorium, pulled by more than 200 men.
Draconian lèse-majesté laws make it illegal to criticise the monarchy, considered the world’s wealthiest, and the military generals currently in power who see themselves as royal protectors and have ramped up prison sentences.The junta had set aside three billion baht (nearly £70m) for the lavish funeral of a man viewed as a beacon of stability and peacemaker in a nation that has suffered repeated violent coups and counter-coups since his coronation in 1950.
People feel genuine adoration for the man, who took the throne unexpectedly after his elder brother was shot in the head, and helped lift many in Thailand out of poverty by decades of philanthropy.
The cremation has become a fixation for the Thai public, with Bangkokians folding more than 10m flowers made of shaved sandalwood and placing them at temples. Its fragrance is believed to lead the souls of the dead to heaven.
One mourner, Montatip Chinnaprom, laid her flowers at a shrine on the outskirts of the old city after authorities closed entrance points to crowds. More than 100,000 had already entered the complex by early morning.
“I want to be a close to the cremation as possible,” said the 22-year-old student, dress in black shirt and skirt. “I loved king Rama Nine,” she added, referring to the monarch’s title.
Thai newspapers have turned their websites monotone to express grief.
Close to 80,000 security personnel have been deployed, and drones have been banned within a 19km radius. In fear of a massive influx, the government built 85 smaller replicas of the crematorium around the country where people can mourn.
Bangkok’s two metro services were free all day on Thursday while some food shops offered free meals. Jazz music composed by the king, who loved the saxophone, has been playing in public areas of the capital for weeks.
Queen Sofia of Spain, former German president Christian Wulff, the UK’s Prince Andrew, and Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen were some of foreign royals, leaders and dignitaries who arrived to observe the cremation.
Television channels have been ordered to reduce their colour saturation and not to air overly upbeat content in the lead-up to the cremation. About 10,000 7-Eleven convenience stores closed on Thursday.
Strict regulations handed out to reporters covering the event included a ban on long hair, earrings and moustaches for male journalists. “Unnatural hair colouring is not allowed,” regulations said.
The symbolic service – the actual cremation is planned for later on Thursday – ends the official mourning period, a year in which government officials and many Thais have not worn colour.
Public shows such as masked drama, puppet shows, and orchestras will be performed into the night, part of an extravagant five-day Buddhist ceremony including thousand of musicians and dancers.
“The king was very important for Thai people,” said Nutthapol, a librarian who said the monarch had donated money to the university where he is employed. “He worked for Thailand.”
Successor Vajiralongkorn, or Rama X, does not yet command the same affection as his father and has spent much of his adult life abroad, mostly in Germany. Since ascending to the throne, the 65-year-old who had a long military career has made amendments to the constitution that reinforced his powers.
The rite to send off the former monarch, known locally as the “father of all Thais”, is the emblematic end his era and paves the way for the formal coronation of Vajiralongkorn.
“The cremation is a crucial ritual for Thailand,” said Paul Chambers, from Thailand’s Naresuan University. “The December coronation of his son ... marks the official new beginning of the next dynasty. The father’s long and well-choreographed reign will be a tough act for the son to follow. As such, he will not escape the inevitable comparison,” he added.
Since the king died last year on 13 October, more than 12 million people have visited his coffin at the Grand Palace, where Bhumibol’s body has remained before the cremation.
On Friday, the king’s ashes and bones will be returned to the palace and placed in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred Buddhist site in Thailand.
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