On Thursday evening in a $90 million (€76 million) ceremony, King Bhumibol's subjects will express their devotion in central Bangkok as they witness what they believe to be the divine monarch's return to the mythical Mount Meru, the spiritual heart of the Buddhist kingdom. More than ten million sandalwood flowers have been folded for the ceremony, as the scent is believed to guide souls to the afterworld.
Despite the rain in Bangkok on Wednesday, tens of thousands of mourners lined up to secure their places to witness the cremation. The sun came out on Thursday and a crowd of a quarter of a million is expected while other Thai communities gather around scores of replica cremation pavilions which have been set up across the Asian nation. [...]
In more than seven decades on the throne, King Bhumibol oversaw Thailand's change to a modern, globalized economy with the monarchy as its central institution. Some 16 royal families and 26 "distinguished representatives" are due to attend the central ceremony in Sanam Luang, including the UK's Prince Andrew, Spain's Queen Sofia and former German president Christian Wulff.
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