6 April 1982
Bangkok bicentennial
Thailand witnessed a host of royal celebrations in 1982, but perhaps none grander than the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Chakri dynasty and of Bangkok as the national capital.
For the first time in 15 years, the King and Queen and members of the royal family led a flotilla of 51 royal barges down the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. Hundreds of thousands of people thronged the riverbanks to catch a glimpse of the glittering procession in a show of pomp and ceremony unrivalled in recent times.
The government declared April 6 a national holiday. The King and Queen were carried down the river on the richly decorated Suphannahong (Golden Swan) barge, accompanied by the Crown Prince and his consort.
At Sanam Luang, the King and Queen paid homage to the spirits of former kings and royal ancestors in one of the most important ceremonies of the Rattanakosin Bicentennial. Other ceremonies paid homage to the Chakri dynasty and bestowed the name ‘the Great’ on dynasty founder King Buddha Yodfa Chulalok (Rama I). As the greatest warlord of Ayutthaya before becoming king, Rama I had held the title of Chao Phraya Chakri for over 10 years. He made Bangkok the capital of Siam in 1782.
6 April 1982
Bangkok bicentennial
Thailand witnessed a host of royal celebrations in 1982, but perhaps none grander than the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Chakri dynasty and of Bangkok as the national capital.
For the first time in 15 years, the King and Queen and members of the royal family led a flotilla of 51 royal barges down the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. Hundreds of thousands of people thronged the riverbanks to catch a glimpse of the glittering procession in a show of pomp and ceremony unrivalled in recent times.
The government declared April 6 a national holiday. The King and Queen were carried down the river on the richly decorated Suphannahong (Golden Swan) barge, accompanied by the Crown Prince and his consort.
At Sanam Luang, the King and Queen paid homage to the spirits of former kings and royal ancestors in one of the most important ceremonies of the Rattanakosin Bicentennial. Other ceremonies paid homage to the Chakri dynasty and bestowed the name ‘the Great’ on dynasty founder King Buddha Yodfa Chulalok (Rama I). As the greatest warlord of Ayutthaya before becoming king, Rama I had held the title of Chao Phraya Chakri for over 10 years. He made Bangkok the capital of Siam in 1782.