A huge crowd turned out around Sanam Luang on Saturday to watch the final dress rehearsal of the historic Royal Cremation Ceremony for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Many of them had arrived at 9pm on Friday
and camped out to reserve vantage viewing positions for the dress
rehearsal of the royal processions for the Royal Cremation Ceremony. The
Royal Cremation is scheduled next week.
Mourners who wanted to get access to the prime zone, where some 40,000
people can gather, had to go past nine checkpoints that opened at 5am on
Saturday.
The three processions that will take place on the cremation day on October 26 will be rehearsed on Saturday.
The first procession will see the transfer of the Royal Urn to the
Palanquin with Three Poles, or Phra Yannamas Sa Lam Khan, from Dusit
Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace to the Great Victory Chariot
or Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharot in front of the Elevated Royal Pavilion
on the eastern side of Wat Phra Chetuphon or Wat Pho.
The second procession will involve placing the Royal Urn on the Great
Victory Chariot by the Naga Conveyor or Kroen Bandai Nak and then
proceed to the Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang.
The third procession will see the Royal Urn being transferred to the
Royal Gun-carriage, or Rajarot Puen Yai, which will circumambulate three
rounds counter-clockwise around the Royal Crematorium before taking the
Royal Urn up to the funeral pyre or Phra Chittakathan.
Source - TheNation
