Anotatta-Kailash: The Symbolic Meaning of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Royal Crematorium

Abstract

Anotatta (so-called Anodat in Thai) the sacred pond mentioned in Buddhist literature was used as a model for the decoration of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s royal crematorium. Although the architecture described “the decorative meaning”, it was mainly related to the King’s royal projects on water resource development. It was due to the textual (and intertextual) study of Anotatta that this sacred pond has been shown to be relevant to Cakravartin and Bodhisattva ideologies in the Thai socio-cultural context. The concept can also be utilised to glorify kings as well. The significant characteristic of Anotatta is a representation of Mount Kailash: Lord Shiva’s divine residence, also meant to emphasize that “the king = Lord Shiva” and has been represented in several cultural aspects for a very long time. The use of the Anotatta model as the decoration of King Rama the ninth’s royal crematorium, therefore, symbolically meant that the funeral structure was Mount Kailash itself.