The
Great Crown of Victory (fig.), in Thai called
Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut
(fig.), is part
of the Thai regalia, which are known
collectively as
kakuthaphan
(fig.).
The crown weighs 7.3 kilograms and is said to represent
Mount Meru,
the sacred golden mountain and
abode of the gods
in both
Hindu and Buddhist
cosmology. The crown thus also
epitomizes the god-like status ascribed to the purportedly divine Thai monarch,
who rules as a
dhammaracha.
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