Page 28 - Thai Heritage from Space_ebook

Glory to the King

Father of Thailand Heritage Conservation

The Heritage of Thailand is the cultural heritage expressing the symbols of Thai nationhood. It includes
antiques, art objects, ancient remains, literature, dramatic arts and music as well as different lifestyles, values
and traditions, which have been the common productions of Thai people since times past.

His Speeches for Thailand Heritage Conservation
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej aims to provide Thai people well-beings and to maintain our
national identity. During his reign of over 65 years, he has restored and preserved Thai culture as well as given
royal speeches on various occasions to remind the people of the nation’s precious culture and to pass this
treasured legacy to their descendants. In recognition of this royal grace, the Thailand heritage conservation
committee has the honor to name him “Father of Thailand Heritage Conservation”.

His Interested in Museums
His Majesty is interested in museums. During his rural visits, he usually examined local ancient remains
closely, and he promoted the creation of various regional museums to preserve the art and culture of many
regions, to maintain the pride of the community, and to encourage local youth to become interested in art and
culture as well as the history of their ancestors. To date, the Department of Fine Arts has been implementing
the royal ideas to establish 43 national museums to collect and exhibit artifacts in Bangkok and in other regions
around the country.

His Consent to Restore the Royal Ploughing
In addition, His Majesty also graciously gave his consent to the restoration of the Royal Ploughing
Ceremony in 1960 after it had been discontinued during the regime change from 1936 to 1959. His Majesty
the King had always supported the significance of this ceremony. When the King performed the initial ploughing
or appointed his representative to do so, he would be closer to his people. As a consequence, the morale of
the peasants and farmers would be uplifted. He also distributed royal rice seeds grown in his personal rice
fields for this particular ceremony. This is the divine grace that the King has shown for Thai farmers.

Cultural Heritage Conservation Award for Conservation Success
On September 1, 2011, “The Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2011”
was bestowed on nine historical sites in the Asia-Pacific region. These sites had been cared for by local
communities in order to build people’s pride and appreciation for conservation success. Three historical sites
in Thailand were selected to receive the awards. “An Award of Merit” was given to Hall of the Holy Scriptures
at Wat Thep Thidaram and Honorable Mentions were awarded to the ancient pavilion of Wat Ku Tao,
Mae Tom sub-district, Bang Klum district, Songkhla Province and the old building on Na Phra Lan Road
across from the Grand Palace, Bangkok. The international recognition of the cultural value of these historical
sites brought pride and profound happiness to the Thai people.

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