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ARCHITECTURE & ICONOGRAPHY

 

 

 

  royal emblem of Rama VI

 

Thailand

The royal emblem of King Rama VI, who is known by the name Wachirawut, consists of a wachira (fig.), that emits a halo-like rasmi (fig.) of wachira thunderbolts and which both are a reference to his name, as well as his power. The wachira is placed on top of a double gilded phaan, i.e. a bowl or dish with a base or foot (fig.), and flanked by two multi-layered parasols known as chattra (fig.), which are a symbol of kingship.

 

Under his successor, King Rama VII, the double phaan was adapted into a part of the emblem of the Thai Constitution (fig.), as if saying that the king's power was indeed replaced by the Constitution, when Rama VII became the nation's first constitutional monarch.

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