page_title: Thai royal funeral
section_title: Modern developments
hierarchical_section_title: Thai royal funeral / Modern developments
caption_attribution_description: English: Place: Chariot Hall, Bangkok National Museum, Bangkok, Thailand. Item: Funeral pyre and urn of Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda.
context_page_description: Thai royal funerals are elaborate events, organised as royal ceremonies akin to state funerals. They are held for deceased members of the Royal Family, and consist of numerous rituals which typically span several months to over a year. Featuring a mixture of Buddhist and animist beliefs, as well as Hindu symbolism, these rituals include the initial rites that take place after death, a lengthy period of lying-in-state, during which Buddhist ceremonies take place, and a final cremation ceremony. For the highest-ranking royalty, the cremation ceremonies are grand public spectacles, featuring the pageantry of large funeral processions and ornate purpose-built funeral pyres or temporary crematoria known as merumat or men. The practices date to at least the 17th century, during the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Today, the cremation ceremonies are held in the royal field of Sanam Luang in the historic centre of Bangkok.
context_section_description: As an ongoing tradition, royal funerals have undergone changes and adaptations throughout the years. Much of the ceremony has been simplified since the funeral of King Chulalongkorn, and the development of embalming has changed the body-handling process. Recent developments introduced in the late twentieth century include live television broadcasts of the ceremony, as well as increased public participation. The public was first allowed to symbolically participate in the royal bathing ceremony in front of royal portraits during the funeral of Princess Mother Srinagarindra, and was allowed to co-host the funeral rites in the funeral of Princess Galyani Vadhana in 2008. The phra kot chan of Queen Rambai Barni, Princess Mother Srinagarindra, Princess Galyani Vadhana and Princess Bejaratana have also been preserved, instead of being burnt in the pyre. Electric furnaces were introduced in the cremation ceremonies of Princess Galyani Vadhana.
caption: Phra kot chan of Princess Bejaratana at the Bangkok National Museum
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