Meaning of Thai Contemporary Stupa by King Rama IX.

Abstract

One of the important religious royal duties of the monarch in Buddhism is to play a leading role in the establishment of the stupa for the people to worship the symbol of the Buddha. King Rama IX of the Chakri Dynasty demonstrates his intuition in this field with the founding of the Stupa Museum. This is a major turning point in the worship of relics in Theravada Buddhism. The inspection of contemporary stupas which King Rama IX has played a role in the guidance of concept towards architecture is the purpose of this article. By spatial interpretation through the symbol of architecture and comparison with the Buddhist tradition, it is found that King Rama IX has maintained the tradition of Buddhism very well with the new form and function to appear in the stupa museum. It is later popularized in the construction of a contemporary stupa in Thai society.