Supreme Patriarch Consecrates Buddha Images for Queen Sirikit
The Supreme Patriarch led a royal consecration ceremony for two historic Buddha images at Wat Ratchabophit in Bangkok. The Phra Nirantarai and Phra Samphutthaphanni images, created with the King's permission, will be presented to Queen Sirikit. Senior government officials and Buddhist devotees attended the event, which also included a royal offering of monastic robes.
On Thursday, October 29, 2026, the Supreme Patriarch presided over the consecration ceremony for the Phra Nirantarai and Phra Samphutthaphanni Buddha images at Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram, to be presented to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
The creation of both images received royal permission from His Majesty the King, and the Queen's royal initials were inscribed on the pedestals. Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram built the Phra Nirantarai image, while the government, through the Office of the Prime Minister, together with Wat Ratchathiwat Wihan, built the Phra Samphutthaphanni image. This was done for the auspicious occasion of the Queen's 4th cycle birthday on June 3, 2026.
On this occasion, His Majesty the King graciously bestowed 22 sets of monastic robes to the Sangha. The Prime Minister assigned Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilpraphan to chair the ceremony, accompanied by Minister Chatchai Bangchuad, Udorn Ek-iam, Director of the National Office of Buddhism, along with executives from government agencies, private sector, and Buddhist devotees.
Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram also received royal permission to create an additional 480 gold-plated bronze Phra Nirantarai images, each inscribed with the Queen's royal initials, for distribution to donors who contributed funds.
The Phra Nirantarai is an important Buddha image associated with the royal initiative of King Rama IV, whose name means "Free from Danger." It was created for donation to temples of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya and completed in the reign of King Rama V. Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram is one of the temples that received this image. It features the meditation posture under a Bodhi-tree-shaped glass canopy, topped with a Maha Phichai Mongkut crown, and inscribed with nine Khmer-script verses of the Buddha's virtues.
As for the Phra Samphutthaphanni, King Rama IV ordered its creation when he ordained and observed the rains retreat at Wat Samorai (now Wat Ratchathiwat Wihan). After his coronation, it was moved to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Later, King Rama V ordered another replica to serve as the principal image of the ordination hall at Wat Ratchathiwat Wihan, completed and installed in the reign of King Rama VI. This image displays the meditation posture with a flat base, in the monk's robes of the Dhammayuttika tradition.
