Valaya Alongkorn (วไลยอลงกรณ์)

Thai. Name of a Siamese Princess of the Rattanakosin Period, who was bestowed with the title Princess of Phetchaburi. She is renowned for her significant contribution to the education of young Thai women and therefore on 4 June 1932 donated a 4 rai plot of land in Bangkok's Rachathewi District to the Ministry of Education, in order to establish the Petchaburi Wittayalongkorn Teacher Training School, which was later upgraded to university status and after her death renamed Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University. King Bhumiphon, i.e. Rama IX, placed it under the Royal Patronage and granted the university royal permission to use his royal emblem, which depicts the privy seal of his reign, as a logo of the university. To honour the founder of the university and celebrate its 84th anniversary, Thailand Post in 2016 issued a commemorative postage stamp depicting a portrait of Princess Valaya Alongkorn, painted by Ajaan Niran Kraisornrat (นิรันดร์ ไกรสรรัตน์), as well as the logo of the university. Princess Valaya Alongkorn was born in the Grand Palace on Wednesday 16 April 1884, as a daughter of King Chulalongkorn and the elder sister of Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, the future father of the later King Bhumiphon. The Princess passed away of lung cancer on 15 February 1938. See also POSTAGE STAMP. 回