Narai Song Suban Pavilion Barge H.M. King Rama IX

In 1994, the Royal Thai Navy and the Fine Arts Department asked for royal permission to build a new pavilion barge and present it to King Rama IX on an occasion of the 50^th anniversary celebration for the King’s accession to the throne on the 9^th of June of the same year. The Royal Thai was responsible for the hull, paddles, and rudder; whilst the Fine Arts Department was in charge of carrying out the artistic works. The King granted his royal permission to build the royal barge and named it ‘Narai Song Suban Pavilion Barge H.M. King Rama IX’.

The figurehead of the royal barge imitated that of a royal barge called Monkhon Suban which was built in the King Rama III Era. The figurehead of the latter was a Garuda spreading his wings with a hole beneath it for installing a canon. Later on, King Rama IV initiated having a statue of Narayana retrofitted to the royal barge for exquisiteness, as well as for adhering to the Brahmanism’s beliefs. The new Narayana is a carved and gilded wooden figure which is also decorated with glass mosaics.

Iron wood carving, lacquer, gilding, and glass mosaics

The figurehead of the royal barge is a statue of 4-armed Narayana who holds divine weapons in each hand, namely a Trishula, mace, Chakra, and conch. Wearing royal attire with a multi-tiered crown on his head, the god mounts over Garuda. The wooden prow is carved, red-lacquered, and adorned with deep blue glass mosaics. The hull is painted red and decorated with flame and vegetal motifs. The Kanya Throne is fixed to the central part of the royal barge. The stern is adorned with flame motifs instead of Garuda’s remiges and rectrices.

Narai Song Suban Pavilion Barge H.M. King Rama IX is the first pavilion barge created in the reign of King Bhumibol. The Thai Navy, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand, and the Bureau of the Royal Household were assigned by the government the task of building the royal barge; and the Royal barge was presented to the King on an occasion of the celebration of the Grand Golden Jubilee or the 50^th anniversary of King Bhumibol’s accession to the throne in 1996. The King named it as Narai Song Suban Pavilion Barge H.M. King Rama IX. The royal barge serves to carry the Kanya Throne. The figurehead of the royal barge depicts a statue of Narayana or Lord Viṣṇu mounting on Garuda which is a major Hindu god. It indicates the belief that kings are an avatar of Narayana.

ณัฏฐภัทร จันทวิช. เรือพระราชพิธี. กรุงเทพฯ : กรมศิลปากร, 2539 กรมศิลปากร. นำชมพิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ เรือพระราชพิธี. กรุงเทพฯ : กรมศิลปากร, 2556.