Tens of thousands of black-clad mourners have taken over the streets of Thailand’s capital Bangkok ahead of the lavish five-day funeral of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The cremation late Thursday will be the biggest Thai royal event for a century and will see colourful funeral processions pass through the capital before his funeral pyre is set alight.
Prince Andrew, Queen Sofia of Spain and Bahrain’s Prime Minister were among the first to arrive on Wednesday, with dozens more expected to join later today, including Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Japan’s Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko.
Mourners were out in force in Thailand ‘s capital Bangkok ahead of the lavish five-day funeral for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Pictured: Women bowing their heads by the roadside on October 25
This woman was carried away from the crowd on a stretcher by an emergency medical team as as large numbers of people lined on the streets for almost two days for their chance to attend the historical cremation
Since King Bhumibol passed away in October 2016 aged 88, his body has lain in state in the royal palace in Bangkok while a year-long period of national mourning was observed. Pictured: Mourners in Bangkok today
Since King Bhumibol passed away in October 2016 aged 88, his body has lain in state in the royal palace in Bangkok while a year-long period of national mourning was observed.
According to the country’s traditions the embalmed remains have been constantly attended by Buddhist monks performing funeral rites, with ceremonial music played every three hours.
More than 12 million people – nearly a fifth of Thailand’s population – visited the throne hall at Dusit palace to pay respects.
In what is expected to be an emotionally-charged morning, King Bhumibol’s body will be moved on Thursday from the Grand Palace to a crematorium in a public square in front, where thousands of people have already pitched tents to ensure places.
On Thursday, three processions will make their way from the palace to the cremation site – a series of specially-erected Thai pavilions that took nearly a year to build.
Thousands of mourners braved overnight downpours as they crushed into Bangkok’s old quarter on Wednesday to secure a vantage point for the funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej
Royals from around the world including Prince Andrew and Queen Sofia of Spain arrived to pay their respects at the funeral
Bahrain’s Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa is greeted by Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pookpasuk as he arrives to attend the Royal Cremation Ceremony the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in Bangkok
So far, some 25,000 black-clad mourners have amassed along the procession routes near Bangkok’s Grand Palace despite heavy overnight rain
While around 25,000 had gathered by Wednesday morning, is expected that some 250,000 Thai’s will flock to the capital to follows the funeral procession
Dedication: Thai mourners pray in front of a replica of the royal crematorium in Bangkok
Thai mourners are using flowers to decorate ornaments close to a replica of the royal crematorium in Bangkok
A Thai mourner dressed in black holds a picture of late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the area of the Royal Crematorium
Thai police officers stand guard on a blocked road near the Royal Crematorium site of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej
A Thai mourner sits behind an a tray of portraits of King Bhumibol outside the Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang near the Grand Palace in Bangkok
Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti , 12, greeting well-wishers in Bangkok on October 25, 2017, near the site of where his grandfather, the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, will be cremated
The cremation late Thursday will be the biggest Thai royal event for a century and will see colourful funeral processions pass through the capital before his pyre is lit inside a purpose-built site
Mourners wait for the funeral of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej to begin in Bangkok
Bhumibol’s death at age 88 on October 13 last year sparked a national outpouring of grief and a year of mourning
So far, some 25,000 black-clad mourners have amassed along the procession routes near Bangkok’s Grand Palace despite heavy overnight rain, and more are expected to arrive today.
Some Thais have folded flowers of sandalwood paper to be used in the cremation, in the belief that their fragrance guides the soul of the departed to heaven.
The cremation day has been declared a national holiday, when banks will be closed and major shopping centers will be shut from 3 p.m.
The crowds will be permitted to prostrate in silence when the royal procession passes, and must not shout ‘Long Live the King’ or take selfies with the procession in the background.
Because of Thailand’s tropical climate, umbrellas, hats and sunglasses will be allowed, but they must be black or similarly muted and taken off to show respect to the royal procession when it passes.
By tradition, deceased Thai royals have been kept upright in elaborate urns during official mourning, but King Bhumibol, who was raised in Switzerland, opted to be put in a coffin, with the urn placed next to it for devotional purposes.
Funeral ceremonies began on Wednesday afternoon as Bhumibol’s heir King Maha Vajiralongkorn joined a Buddhist merit-making ceremony for his father at the Grand Palace.
Palace aides shuffling on their knees were in attendance on the new king, Rama X of the Chakri dynasty, as he lit candles before the rituals began with monks.
THE FIVE DAY FUNERAL OF THAILAND’S BELOVED KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ
Adored: A Thai mourner holds up the portrait of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej ahead of the Royal Cremation ceremony
The lavish five-day event, which runs until Sunday, opened with rows of Buddhist monks in orange robes chanting prayers on Wednesday.
The king’s cremation will take place on Thursday, which has been declared a public holiday, when many businesses have announced they will be shut all day or close at midday.
About 250,000 Thais are expected to attend the cremation ceremony, which will be led by the new King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
King Maha formally ascended the throne last year but his coronation will take place at some point before the end of the year.
The funeral procession from the Dusit Maha Phasat Throne Hall, where King Bhumibol’s embalmed remains have been lying in state since his death, to the Royal Crematorium at the Sanam Luang Royal Plaza will take place between 9am and 11.30am Thursday.
The funeral pyre will be lit at 5.30pm, with the Royal cremation performances, including a puppet show, a musical concert and ballet dancers, will start from 6pm.
The cremation is expected to be complete by 10pm.
On Friday, the royal ashes and relics from the crematorium will be removed at 7am, after which they will be transported back to the Dusit Maha Phasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace in another public procession.
On Saturday, a final funeral service will be held before the royal ashes and relics at the palace, followed by a lavish state dinner attended by King Maha, heads of state and international royals.
Sunday marks the final day of the year of mourning and the final procession of the five-day funeral.
The royal ashes and relics will now be transported from the Grand Palace with another grand procession to the Royal Cemetery at Wat Ratchabophit followed by a procession to the Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Royal Temple and a final memorial interment service on Sunday afternoon.
Thai Privy Councilor Surayud Chulanont (right) talking with Queen Sofia (left) of Spain during her arrival to attend the Royal Cremation ceremony
Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (left) being greeted by Thai Privy Councilor Surayud Chulanont (right)
Thailand on Wednesday began an elaborate five-day funeral for King Bhumibol Adulyadej with his son, the new monarch, performing Buddhist merit-making rites in preparation for moving Bhumibol’s remains to a spectacular golden crematorium
Thai mourners praying for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on ther streets of Bangkok on Wednesday
Thai mourner takes a picture from his mobile phone with a cover portrait of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Thai soldiers march next to a line of police officers security guard on a blocked street near the Royal Crematorium site in Bangkok
Thai mourners sit outside Wat Pho temple to take part in the royal cremation ceremony which will start on Thursday
A Thai Buddhist monk walks along with mourners on a blocked street near the Royal Crematorium site
Thailand has been in sombre mood since Bhumibol’s death one year ago aged 88, a watershed moment that removed the nation’s only unifying figure during decades of political upheaval and economic change
Thailand has been in sombre mood since Bhumibol’s death, a watershed moment that removed the nation’s only unifying figure during decades of political upheaval and economic change.
Many Thais have worn mourning attire for a year as tributes to the monarch dominate every aspect of life.
Public grieving is encouraged by the ultra-royalist junta that grabbed power in 2014.
Any deviation is discouraged by a draconian royal defamation law that punishes criticism of the monarchy with jail time.
On Tuesday soldiers whisked an activist from his Bangkok home to the western province of Kanchanaburi after he threatened on Facebook to disrupt the cremation ceremony.
Ekachai Hongkangwan, a rare voice of dissent in the junta-ruled nation, was given the option of leaving the capital or staying in a military barracks while the five-day funeral unfolds, according to human rights lawyers.
A Thai mourner is helped by volunteers after she faints while waiting to attend the Royal Cremation ceremony
A quarter of a million Thais are expected to gather on the streets of Bangkok ahead of the cremation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Thursday, a year after he died following a long battle with illness
Crowds have already started camping on the streets of the capital in order to say their last farewell to the longest-ruling monarch in their history, and a man many revered as semi-divine
Since his death, King Bhumibol’s body has lain in state at the royal palace in Bangkok while the country observed a year of mourning. There is no set period, and it varies depending on the stature of the deceased
‘He was not charged but the military said he was taken for the sake of order and peace during the royal cremation ceremony,’ Anon Numpa, an attorney with Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, told AFP.
In a Facebook post last week Ekachai said he would ‘wear a red shirt and do something unthinkable’ on October 26, the day of the cremation.
Authorities said they could not confirm the lawyers’ account.
Thursday’s cremation ceremony is expected to draw a quarter of a million Thais to central Bangkok, as well as a roster of foreign royals and heads of state.
The ceremony, estimated to cost $90million (£69million) will feature thousands of performers, royal chariots drawn by hundreds of men, and an artificial palace which will be burned with his remains inside it.
King Bhumibol’s subjects have been allowed to view his remains and pay their respects at the palace while Buddhist monks performed daily rites. A day of national holiday has also been declared for Thursday, when he will be burned
At the time of his death, Bhumibol was the longest-serving head of state anywhere in the world, Thailand’s longest-serving monarch, and the world’s richest royal with an estimated fortune of $30billion
Mourners of the Thai king sit under their umbrellas in Bangkok as they await the funeral of their beloved monarch, which will take place after sunset on Thursday
Those who had already traveled to the capital were undeterred by a tropical storm which struck on Tuesday night, choosing to keep their place in the rain rather than risk losing it
Forecasters have warned that the cremation ceremony may be overshadowed by rain, though that would be fitting for a king who was known for his connection to water – featuring it prominently in the 4,000 public constructions he oversaw
Mourners set up a shrine to King Bhumibol near the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Tuesday they await the start of the funeral ceremonies, which will begin on Thursday
The crematorium has taken a year to build and features multiple water fountains and 500 sculptures of animals, including two of the King’s dogs, named Jo Cho and Tong Daen
King Bhumibol was the longest ruling monarch in the kingdom’s history, reigning for seven decades. During that time he restored the power of the monarchy and saved Thailand from communism, while also amassing an enormous fortune himself.
Raised in Switzerland, Bhumibol ascended the throne aged 18 in 1946 after his elder brother Ananda Mahidol was shot dead in mysterious circumstances at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, and was officially crowned in 1950.
Bhumibol oversaw thousands of well-publicised royal projects in what was a poor, agrarian country that won him the moniker the ‘Development King’ and the love of the people
By the time of his death he was viewed as semi-divine by his subjects – a man who saved Thailand from communism and led it into the 21st century, while remaining in touch with the people.
Despite his down-to-earth reputation, his funeral will be anything but. Preparations began almost as soon as he died, and are only just being completed.
The crematorium in Bangkok has been painstakingly sculpted by master craftsmen, and incorporates dozens of water features to honor King Bhumibol’s connection to it – of 4,000 government projects he oversaw, roughly 3,000 featured water.
Sculptors have crafted 500 animals to sit around it, including cows to represent plenty and lions to represent the country’s religious code, according to the BBC. The structure will be topped by replicas of the King’s two dogs, Jo Cho and Tong Daen.
A Buddhist monk shelters from the downpour as he prepares for the funeral. Monks have attended the body of the king every day since his death, chanting funeral rites
The funeral will feature huge royal chariots pulled by hundreds of men which will carry the king’s body. Once it reaches the crematorium, smaller version will be used in a stage performance, which is being rehearsed here
Thousands of performers, including musicians, acrobats and dancers will take part in the ceremony honouring their monarch, who passed away in October last year
Thai artists perform the Khon dance, the traditional Thai masked performance drama based on the Hindu epic Ramayana for their final farewell to the late King Bhumibol
For those unable to make it to the capital for the start of the ceremony on Thursday, smaller versions of the crematorium have been built around the country for people to pay their respects
The Great Victory Royal Chariot is pulled through Bangkok by officers of the Thai army and royal officials as the practice ahead of the funeral
Thai royal guards march next to a mourning portrait of the late King, who will be mourned by millions of subjects this week
Thai army officials participate in a training exercise to pull a royal funeral chariot vehicle, which will be used in the procession
The ceremony will also feature the firing of cannons, as members of the Thai royal guard practice firing them
Replicas of the crematorium have also been constructed around the country for those unable to make it to the capital on Thursday, when it will be burned.
Bhumibol left behind one of the world’s richest monarchies, with the palace the pivot point of Thailand’s power networks including the influential military.
‘Thailand needed a king as rallying and unifying symbol and a young king found a people to rebuild a kingdom around,’ explained Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a politics professor at Chulalongkorn University.
A revival of antiquated palace rituals – including prostration in his presence – and spiritual duties gilded the throne, elevating Bhumibol to a semi-divine status.
That deification made scenes of his engagement with ordinary Thais even more remarkable to a nation awed by his work ethic.
Over years spent criss-crossing Thailand, Bhumibol seeded thousands of well-publicised royal projects in a poor, agrarian country that won him the moniker the ‘Development King’.