The Royal Water-Course Procession

The late Ayutthaya became rich and well-known among foreigners as one of the important trade cities in South east Asia. To celebrate the prosperity and dignity of the king dom, many state cer e mo nies and artistic work were created.

A group of royal barges were also initiated on this occasion. The royal barges, adapted from war ships, were used in many important state ceremonies such as the reception of the royal guests and the royal procession welcoming diplomats and carrying royal letters or commands. Some other royal pro ces sions were also held in special royal ceremonies. The most ex traor di nary royal pro ces sions were held when the king went to pay homage to the Buddhas Footprints in Saraburi and when he performed rites in the Katin Fes ti val. The great grand royal barge processions were witnessed by both Thai and foreign audiences.

The procession exhibited at Muang Boran is painstakingly constructed based on real barges which have been used since the late Ayutthaya period. While the construction of the graceful barges has proved the prosperity of the long-es tab lished Siamese civilization, the barges reflect the tra di tion al Thai way of life which relied very much on public waterways, rivers and canals.

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