Bangkok, the remains of King Bhumibol transferred to the Great Palace
The ashes will be preserved in the temple of the Emerald Buddha. King Maha Vajiralongkorn sprinkled the remains of his father with sacred water. The remains were then blessed by the supreme Buddhist Patriarch. Controversy for the private form of the actual cremation ceremony.
Bangkok (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Following the solemn cremation ceremony, the remains of King Bhumibol Adulyadej were transferred today from the Royal Crematorium complex to the Great Palace of Bangkok as part of the five days of funeral rites of the late monarch.
Bhumibol’s son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, sprinkled the remains with holy water (photo) during an austere function broadcast on live television. The remains were then blessed by the Supreme Patriarch, the highest authority of the Order of Buddhist monks. The sovereign has placed his predecessor's bones in six golden urns, then brought to the Great Palace, where King Bhumibol rested from the day of his death last October. The ashes will be preserved in the Emerald Buddha Temple.
Meanwhile, controversy over the private form of yesterday's ceremony continue in Thailand. King Vajiralongkorn was supposed to have ignited the royal pyre at an event that was to be broadcast through the Thai media at the end of a year of mourning for a people who had a close relationship with the deceased king. But the decision to carry out the ceremony in private has caught subjects by surprise. For the public, cremation was the last opportunity to greet a beloved monarch who was considered "father of the nation".
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