When the King of Siam Goes to Church

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 March 1928, Page 9

When the King of Siam Goes to Church

■ HEN a Western monarch attends divine services it is usually a rather simple procedure, much like that of an ordinary human being going to church. Not so with his Majesty Prajadipok Maha Vajiravudh Monkut Klao, King of Siam. When he goes to church the ceremony is attended by all the pomp and display which accompanies all of the other official acts of the king. r rhe king worships at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, at Wat Phra Keo, Bangkok, the most imposing of Siamese temples, guarded by the huge stone giants, or Yaks, as they aVe called in Siamese mythology.

The churchly costume of the king is made of cloth-of-gold, and he wears on special occasions the sacred pagoda hat, nine storeys high. He is carried out of the palace to his long boat on the river, in which he seats himself under his largest, golden umbrella, and is then rowed in state.to the Emerald Temple. At the temple the chief priest, tn a long prayer, asks the Lord Buddha to shower blessings on the king, and sprinkles holy perfume on his Maj-

esty, while attendant priests scatter lotus blossoms before him. The King of Siam is one of the wealthiest of Eastern monarchs. He has 20 palaces, a herd of white elephants £2,000,000 worth of diamonds, pearls, rubies and other precious stones, a principal royal barge with 120 oarsmen, 2,000 other royal barges, 24 golden umbrellas and many other quaint luxuries. _