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ARCHITECTURE & ICONOGRAPHY

 

 

 

  emblem of the Rattanakosin Bicentennial

 

Thailand

The emblem of the Rattanakosin Bicentennial, here depicted on a memorial coin issued in 1982 AD, consists of two angels (thep) facing each other whilst performing a thepanom gesture, i.e. a wai gesture by clasping their hands, which symbolizes Bangkok as the city of angels.

 

These angels are seated inside a decorative frame akin to a reuan kaew or crystal palace and underneath a triple-arched edifice called sumwimaan (fig.) and which symbolizes the one that once enshrined Phra Siam Thewathiraat (fig.), the guardian spirit of the nation, in the Grand Palace. The emblem also appears on the Rattanakosin Bicentennial Monument at the southern end of Lahn Khon Meuang, in front of Bangkok City Hall (fig.).