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19-481: The Royal Barge "Sri Suphannahong" was first mentioned in the barge-rowing poems of Prince Thammathibet in 1548, during the early reign of King Maha Chakkraphat of the Ayutthaya Kingdom . The annals of Thai military boats written by Prince Damrong Rajanubhab mentions the construction of the "Sri Suphannahong" royal barge during the reign of King Rama I . It was used and gradually became dilapidated over

38-425: A major tourist attraction. Wat Chaiwatthanaram lies on the west bank of Chao Phraya River , south-west of the old city of Ayutthaya . It is a large compound part of Ayutthaya Historical Park ; however not a part of Historic City of Ayutthaya , a UNESCO World Heritage Site . It can be reached by road or by boat. The temple was constructed in 1630 by the king, Prasat Thong , as the first temple of his reign, as

57-622: A memorial of his mother's residence in that area. The temple's name literally means the Temple of long reign and glorious era . It was designed in Khmer style to gain Buddhist merit and as a memorial to his mother, however Prince Damrong believed it was built to celebrate Ayutthaya Kingdom's victory over Longvek . It has a central 35-meter-high (115 ft) prang (Thai: พระปรางด์ประธาน) with four smaller prangs. The whole construction stands on

76-402: A rectangular platform. About halfway up, there are hidden entrances, to which steep stairs lead. The central platform is surrounded by eight chedi -shaped chapels (Thai: เมรุทิศ เมรุราย - Meru Thit Meru Rai), which are connected by a rectangular cross-shaped passage (Phra Rabieng). The passage had numerous side entries and was originally roofed and open inwards, but today only the foundations of

95-662: The Suphannahong National Film Awards , as well as aircraft livery for Thai Airways International and the logo of the Tourism Authority of Thailand . Thammathibet Thammathibet Chaiyachet Suriyawong, the Prince Senaphithak ( Thai : สมเด็จเจ้าฟ้าธรรมธิเบศรไชยเชษฐสุริยวงศ กรมขุนเสนาพิทักษ์ ) or Prince Narathibet ( Thai : นราธิเบศร์ ), also known as Prince Kung/ Chao Fa Kung ( Thai : เจ้าฟ้ากุ้ง ; 1715 – 1755 ),

114-588: The Buddhist world view, as it is described already in the Traiphum Phra Ruang, the "three worlds of the King Ruang", of the 14th century: The big "Prang Prathan" that stands in the centre symbolizes the mountain Meru (Thai: เขาพระสุเมรุ - Khao Phra Sumen), which consists the central axis of the traditional world (Kamaphum - กามภูมิ). Around it lie the four continents (the four small Prangs) that swim in

133-696: The King, who left his son in jail. Thammathibet was chained in a single cell, and no one was allowed to join him. Meanwhile, the accusations against him increased. King Borommakot entrusted Chao Sakaeo and Chao Krommun Poon (Prince Chitsunthorn), along with Okya Chakri (Chancellor) and the Phraklang, with the prisoner's interrogation, which did not bode well. Thammathibet did not speak, and was twice punished with twenty blows, then his soles were burnt. His most important advisers were also imprisoned and "questioned". They made many accusations: Thammathibet had made copies of

152-666: The Ubusot stood two chedis with 12 indented corners , in which the ashes of the king's mother were laid. After the total destruction of the old capital (Thai: กรุงเก่า - Krung Kao) by the Burmese in 1767, from which Wat Chai Watthanaram was not spared, the temple was deserted. Theft, sale of bricks from the ruins and the beheading of the Buddha statues were common. Only in 1987 did the Thai Department of Fine Arts start restoring

171-530: The beauty of the Royal Barge procession, illustrating the work of the rowers, the individual boats, and the sight of the entire procession fleet. Nature, both plant and animal life, are also themes of his poetry. He often deals with the beauty of women, a subject which eventually led to disaster in real life. Thammathibet and his half-brother Chao Sakaeo (Prince Sunthon Thep) had an argument about an elephant. In April, 1746, Thammathibet reportedly laid siege to

190-492: The further interrogations, Thammathibet confessed that he had visited four of the numerous royal concubines and planned to assassinate his father the king and his family and seize power in Ayutthaya. The king gave an order to give Thammathibet fifty more blows and burn his forehead, arms, and legs. In the course of this torture, Thammathibet, the four concubines, and some higher counselors of the prince died. Prince Thammathibet

209-400: The keys to the chambers of the king, the queen, and the royal concubines, so that he could get access to the rooms by night. In addition, his followers had bought and hidden weapons to use at the right moment. And finally, they confessed that Thammathibet was responsible for the death of several monks and the mutilation of some of his subordinates. Thereupon the king ordered fifty blows. During

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228-687: The mouth, made from yak hair imported from Nepal . The royal barge was awarded the Maritime Heritage Award of the year 1992, from the World Ship Trust, based in the United Kingdom . The award was granted to the Fine Arts Department for its role in refurbishment of the ship. The Royal Barge Suphannahong has become a renowned icon of Thai culture, having been used as the namesake for awards such as

247-470: The palace of his half-brother, forbidding any entrance or exit. Nevertheless, Chao Sakaeo and his sons were able to enter the palace of the king and lodge complaints there. The King was surprised by these clashes. Thammathibet also hurried to the royal palace but he was not allowed to enter, so he returned to his own palace. Later, he was brought before his father, who asked him the reason for his presumptuous behavior. Thammathibet remained silent, which rankled

266-400: The pillars and the outside wall still stand. Along the wall, there were 120 sitting Buddha statues, probably painted in black and gold. The eight chedi-like chapels are formed in a unique way. They had paintings on the interior walls, the exterior ones decorated by 12 reliefs depicting scenes from the life of Buddha (Jataka), which must be "read" clockwise. Just fragments of the paintings and

285-399: The reliefs survived. In each of the rectangular chedis were two sitting Buddha statues, and in each of the four middle chedis was one big sitting Buddha statue, also lacquered in black and gold. The ceiling over those statues was of wood with golden stars on black lacquer. Outside the passages on the east, close to the river, was the temple's ordination hall (Phra Ubosot). North and south from

304-589: The site. In 1992, it was opened to the public. During the 2011 Thai floods , Wat Chaiwatthanaram became submerged under 2 metres of water and was significantly damaged. It underwent restoration by the Department of Fine Arts under a budget of 200 million baht. Wat Chaiwatthanaram was a royal temple where the king and his successors performed religious ceremonies. Princes and princess were cremated here, including King Boromakot's son Chaofa Thammathibet (เจ้าฟ้าธรรมธิเบศร). The Wat Chaiwatthanaram structure reflects

323-403: The years. The current barge was reconstructed by King Rama V which was completed in the reign of King Rama VI, and at the same time was renamed as "Suphannahong". The barge was launched by the head artisan Lt. Gen. Phraya Ratchasongkhram on 13 November 1911. The royal barge's distinct feature is the bow shaped as the head of a golden swan/phoenix and is decorated with a tassel hanging from

342-622: Was Viceroy of the front palace of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya , from 1732/33 but he is more well-known as one of the most prominent poets in Thai literature . He also created the music for the Royal Barge Procession . Thammathibet, Prince Senaphithak was the eldest son of King Borommakot (reg. 1733 to 1758) and Princess Aphainuchit or Phra Phan Watsa Yai. In his poetic works praised for their lyrical language, Thammathibet describes

361-564: Was cremated in Wat Chaiwatthanaram in Ayutthaya along with Chao Fa Nim, his father's first concubine, and Chao Sangwan, according to Buddhist rite. Wat Chaiwatthanaram Wat Chaiwatthanaram ( Thai : วัดไชยวัฒนาราม ) is a Buddhist temple in the city of Ayutthaya Historical Park , Thailand , on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, outside Ayutthaya island. It is one of Ayutthaya's best known temples and

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