His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will represent His Majesty the King in traveling by royal barge to Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn, for the Royal Kathin Ceremony.
The royal barge procession will be performed on 9 November 2012, as part of the ceremony to present royal
kathin robes to a congregation of Buddhist monks at Wat Arun.
It is meant to celebrate the 84th birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King on 5 December 2011. The royal barge procession was postponed from last year's original date, 22 October 2011, since there was severe flooding in many areas of the country.
Buddhist Thais consider the presentation of kathin robes to the monks highly meritorious. The ceremony, known as the merit-making of Thot Kathin, is performed during the period of four weeks upon the end of Buddhist Lent. In 2012, the end of Buddhist Lent is on 30 October.
There are two kinds of Thot Kathin: the Royal Thot Kathin and the Thot Kathin performed by the general public. The Royal Thot Kathin refers to the ceremony during which the King himself or, by royal command, members of the Royal Family present monks in temples under royal patronage with robes and gifts.
Thot Kathin by the general public is an event held in temples other than those under royal patronage, at which people present the monks in residence with robes and gifts.
Located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok Yai district of Bangkok, Wat Arun was constructed in the 17th century during the Ayutthaya period. This temple is well-known among international tourists as it is featured in many postcards of Thailand and is regarded as a symbol of the country. Its uniqueness owes much to its fine architecture, especially the beautiful prang, a Khmer-style corn-cob-shaped stupa.
Wat Arun is also known as Wat Chaeng. It is famous for two huge figures of giants, commonly referred to as Yak Wat Chaeng. The two giants are patterned from characters of the Ramakian, a uniquely Thai version of the Indian epic, the Ramayana.
Wat Arun is now working with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Royal Thai Navy in preparing the venue for the Royal Kathin Ceremony. The temple can be reached either by road or by boat.
Concerning the Royal Barge Procession, two full-dress rehearsals will take place at 3:00 p.m. on 2 November and 6 November, before the actual procession for the presentation of royal kathin robes on 9 November. It will be the 16th of its kind to be held during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The most recent one took place on 5 November 2007, in celebration of His Majesty the King's 80th birthday anniversary.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will board the Royal Barge Suphannahongse at the Wasukri Landing at 3:10 p.m. on 9 November. It will take about 55 minutes for the Royal Barge Procession to move from the Wasukri Landing to Wat Arun. The Royal Kathin Ceremony is expected to end at about 5:30 p.m.
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