THAILAND
MUANG
THAI
Part 2
Arms and Emblems
|
The royal arms consists of the arms of the House of Chakri crested with the arms of Vishnu symbolizing armed authority, thus making ‘The Armed Authority of the House of Chakri’ personified in the King of Siam/Thailand. Therefore it symbolizes the (today nominal) supreme command of the king. In siamese heraldry the emblem was introduced by Rama V and his cousin Pravi Jumsai. An early version is on the Royal Palace in Bangkok:
|
|||||
|
As the royal arms symbolize the office of a supreme commander of the king, the royal emblem is an individual emblem and is unique for each ruler, designed according to the taste of the king.[1] |
|||||
|
|
|
||||
|
Rama IV The
crown Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut between two fivefolded umbrellas. This emblem was also on the
royal standard 1855-‘92 |
Rama V The crown Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut on
two ritual goblets and between two fivefolded umbrellas |
||||
|
. |
|
||||
|
Rama VI A
vajra or thunderbolt issuant from two ritual goblets, standing on a
table and between two fivefolded umbrellas |
Rama VII A
rack with three arrows crested with the crowned royal arms and between two
standards. |
||||
|
|
|
||||
|
Rama VIII Lord
Indra sitting on a lotus between two fivefolded umbrellas. |
Rama IX The
arms of the House of Chakri radiant, charged with the Om-symbol and supported
by a sevenfolded umbrella. |
||||
|
The jubilea of King Rama IX, occurring each decennium of his life, are celebrated by special achievements displaying his royal emblem or his royal cypher, augmented by different other emblems. |
|||||
|
Jubilee-achievements for the 60th and 80th birthday of King Rama IX Bhumibol Adulej. |
|
||||
|
An achievement for Siam was introduced in the beginning of the 19th century. The first achievement consisted of a shield charged with an elephant and a chakram, as we have seen, surrounded by a garland, all of European style. A second achievement dates from the reign of King Rama III Chetsadabodin and was probably used until the reign of Rama V. It was:
Photo H.d.V. 1980 Achievement on the fence
around a park in Bangkok Arms: Azure, Erawan standing on a platform, proper. Crest: The crowned regalia between two five-folded umbrellas [proper] Supporters: The lion Rajasiha on the dexter and the elephant-lion Gajasiha on the sinister [proper] This achievement was also on the seal of the government of Siam:
Seal of Siam with the
achievement of Siam within a strap [2] On a Puukpi (poll tax)
document relating to a Chinese who was under the protection of the Dutch
consulate, 1833. |
|||||
|
In 1873 King
Chulalongkorn ordered his cousin H.H. Prince Pravij Jumsai, to create a new
augmented achievement. The achievement was:
National Achievement of Siam, modern rendering. [3] Arms: Tierced per pall: 1. Or, Erawan proper,
capped Gules and Or standing on a platform proper, for the North; 2. Gules, an
elephant Argent, capped and attired Or, for the South; 3. Tenné, a kris
sheathed and a kris unsheathed in saltire, Or and Argent, for the Malay
peninisula. Crest: A flaming chakram, charged
with a trisula and crowned with the Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut topped by the diamond Phra Maha Wichian Mani radiant. Orders: The collars and star of the Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems and of
the Most Illustrious Family Order Supporters: Dexter: Gajasiha proper for Kalahom;
Sinister: Rajasiha proper for Mahatthai each holding a sevenfolded umbrella, standing
on a compartment Azure, bearing the royal slippers Or. Motto: Sabbesam sanghabhūtāna
sāmaggī vuddhi sādhikā (Unity brings happiness) in Pali
language in Thai script on a ribbon Gules with bordures Vert. Mantle: The cloak of the Order of Chula
Chom Klao, tied with pink* ribbons to two golden swords and the wan wit
chani royal flywhisk and fan in saltire. * Pink is the
colour of Tuesday, the day of king Chulalongkorn’s birth. After having been abandoned in 1910, the larger achievement was restored in the time of the Luang Phibunsongkhram and Sarit Dhanarajata military regimes (1948-’63) for use by the army and the police. It featured also on coins struck 1950-’57.
1 Baht, 1957 |
|||||
|
Of the achievement there are a lesser or medial version and a smaller version:
The lesser achievement shows the arms, the crest, the Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems, the supporters with the umbrellas and the swords in saltire, all on the platform. |
|||||
|
¼ Baht, 1876 |
Royal Standard 1895-1910 |
||||
|
The smaller achievement consists of the arms, crest and umbrellas on the platform only. This version was on the royal standard. The achievements are inspired by the three catagories of European national achievements symbolizing an absolutist monarchy. These achievements comprised terms for the empire, the ruler and the state, all united within one single composition. In this case, the empire is symbolized by the shield with the emblems of the three territories. The ruler is symbolized by his crowned royal emblem. The state is symbolized by the emblems of the main officials of the empire The legitimacy of the royal house is symbolized by the regalia The cohesion of the empire is symbolized by the cloak of the Order of the Royal Family, as the Royal familiy is the most important political power of the country. The umbrellas symbolize the political status of a kingdom of the country. Such all-embracing national emblems were of mainly German fashion. The idea was also adopted in 19th century Russia and in Japan which, after the Meiji Revolution, adopted such an emblem in 1870. As these national emblems were symbols of autocratic and absolutist regimes, they ware usually abandoned when the political organisation of the country changed. |
|||||
|
Probably soon after the creation a government of
ministries in 1892 the need for new symbols for the king and the government
was felt. For the occasion Rama V ordered his brother H.H. Prince
Naris to make new emblems to replace the ancient national achievements.
At first, Naris designed an emblem featuring Garuda, Naga and Vishnu inside a
circle. This design combined the image of the king, being an incarnation of
Vishnu, riding Garuda, and Naga, the companion
and guard of Vishnu. This emblem was
only used for a short while before the king suggested Naris to remove the
image of Naga. This resulted in a seal showing Vishnu riding Garuda and in
fact symbolizing the Royal Government. |
|||||
|
1st design |
2nd design |
||||
|
Apparently this design was also dismissed and an other seal was preferred showing Garuda only. [4] This new emblem, to be qualified the emblem of state, consisted of Garuda, in hindu symbolism the vehicle of Vishnu and, as the siamese king considered himself to be an incarnation of Vishnu, the vehicle of the King of Siam. It illustrates the doctrine that the government actually is a tool of the ruler, in this case the King of Siam. Early pictures of the new emblem date from the time of Rama V himself. Such a seal of state was used with the name of the office as a legend, as on the seal of the beginning of the 19th century with the national achievement. An early print of such a seal is from the Siamese Consulate in Amsterdam dated about 1900. [5]
|
|||||
|
In 1910 king Vajiravudh
abandoned the National Achievements of 1873 altogether and ordered Phra
Dhevabhinimit to create a new one. This featured the Garuda of Chulalongkorn.
On the national seal it was encircled to create an outer rim, which contained the royal ceremonial name. Upon the coronation of a new king, the seal is changed to correspond with his name. Garuda is on public buildings and on official papers and is also used by public services like embassies and consulates. It is also on the royal standard, qualifying the King the head of state.
Royal Standard, 1910-present. |
|||||
|
Seal of Siam, 3rd design. From the time of King
Vajiravudh |
Shield of the Royal Thai
Embassy London |
||||
|
On coins Garuda appeared after WWII, replacing Erawan and an elephant on earlier coins.
50 satang, 1946. In practice, however, no distinction is made between the
royal emblem and the emblem of state, all governmental institutions being ‘Royal’.
[6] Therefore it is not used by the present national assembly and the prime minister, established 1932, as these are not ‘Royal’. |
|||||
|
The National Assembly
was established in 1932 after the adoption of Siam's first Constitution,
which transformed Siam from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional
monarchy. The emblem of
the National Assembly shows two ritual goblets covered with a book and a
rising sun. |
|||||
|
The post of
Prime Minister has existed since 1932. At first, the office was called the President
of the People’s Committee, it was later changed to Prime Minister of Siam
when the King deemed it too communistic. Constitutionally
the Prime Minister is required to be a member of the lower house of
Parliament or the House of Representatives. He must also gain their approval
through a resolution before an official appointment by the King can take
place. The seal of the
Prime Minister shows the emblem of the National Assembly standing on a table,
supported by Rajasiha and Gajasiha standing on a platform. On the flag of
the prime minister, which is white, the seal is red and crowned with the
royal crown. |
|
||||
|
Emblem
of the National Intelligence Agency A
department of the Office of the Prime Minister since 1953. The emblem of
the NIA shows a four pointed flaming star and two thunderbolts in saltire
charged with the seal of the prime minister within a circle of rays. |
|||||
|
Ministries |
|||||
|
|
|
||||
|
Ministry
of Agriculture |
Ministry
of Defense |
||||
|
|
|
||||
|
Ministry
of Economics |
Ministry
of Education |
||||
|
|
|
||||
|
Ministry
of Finance |
Ministry
of Foreign Affairs |
||||
|
|
|
||||
|
Ministry
of Interior |
Ministry
of Justice |
||||
|
|
|||||
© Hubert de Vries 2012-03-15
Heraldry of the World
.svg){kind=link}