Grand cremation ceremony for Supreme Patriarch today
THE GRAND cremation ceremony for His Holiness the late Supreme Patriarch will be held today.
People can pay their last respects to the late monk by laying wood-shaving flowers, dokmai chan, as a last tribute to him at various temples across the country.HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will lay dokmai chan at Wat Thepsirintharawas at 4.30 pm today.
In Bangkok, dokmai chan laying will be held after 4.30 pm at various temples except Wat Bovoranives where the wooden flowers can be laid between 12.30pm and 3.30pm as well as between 6pm and 7pm only.
During his lifetime, His Holiness had stayed at the Wat Bovoranives.
Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Somdet Phra Sangharaja passed away in October, 2013, at the age of 100. He was the longest-living supreme patriarch of Thailand.
His passing brings great sadness to his devout followers as well as many other Buddhists.
People will wear black again today in mourning and out of respect to the late Supreme Patriarch.
Between 6am and noon, 24 roads in Bangkok were closed to facilitate the elaborate 1,383-strong 456-metre-long funeral procession, beautifully decorated according to Thai tradition, to bring the late highly revered monk’s body to the Royal Crematorium at Wat Thepsirin-tharawas.
Thousands of people are expected to join the procession that will move from Bovoranives along Wat Phra Sumen Road, Phanfa Lilat Bridge, Lan Luang Road, and Krung Kasem Canal towards Wat Thepsirintharawas where the grand cremation will take place at 5.30pm.
Yesterday, the Crown Prince, together with HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, attended a merit-making ritual in dedication to the late Supreme Patriarch at Wat Bovoranives.
