Historical King's and Queen's Flags (Thailand)

Last modified: 2001-09-08 by santiago dotor
Keywords: thailand | royal | king | queen | historical | elephant | crown: thai | coat of arms |
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• King's Flag 1891-1910 (Maharaj Flag or Raromraj-Thawach-Maha-Siamindra Flag / Royal Flag when the King is present)
• Royal Flag when the King is not present 1891-1897 (Judhathippatai Flag)
• Queen's Standard c.1891-1910 (Rachini Flag)

See also:

• King's and Queen's Flags
• Thailand

Other sites:

• Thailand's Buddhist Era Calendar
  (Editor's note: to obtain AD dates, simply take away 543 years from the BE dates)

Maharaj Flag or Raromraj-Thawach-Maha-Siamindra Flag / Royal Flag when the King is present

by Jaume Ollé	The blue border matches the original source's background and is not part of the flag from the Singha Beer source

From the Singha Beer source:

Raromraj-Thawach-Maha-Siamindra
The "Maharaj" Flag or Royal Flag

This red flag [similar to th-kngnp.gif "Royal Flag when the King is present" but with dark blue instead of light blue] contains a dark blue rectangle, in the middle of which stands the national coat of arms. Above the coat of arms lies the Chakkra —symbol of Chakkri Dynasty— crowned by a trident, while above sits the Greater Crown of the Chakkri Kings.

The coat of arms itself is divided into three sections: the triple-headed white elephant fully-caparisoned against a plain yellow background, symbolizes northern, central, and southern Siam; the white elephant against a pink background represents Laos, while the crossed daggers against a red background symbolize Malaya, with a platform supporting the coat of arms and seven-tiered canopy against a yellow background.

The flag was designed in B.E. 2434 [1891 AD] during the reign of King Rama V. It was flown from the masts of Royal vessels or from the roof of the Royal Palace in Bangkok to indicate that the King was currently in residence. In B.E. 2440 [1897 AD], the flag, known as the "Maharaj" flag, was flown during royal processions or from the masts of Royal vessels or warships whenever His Majesty was on board — a practice that continued until B.E. 2453 [1910 AD].

Santiago Dotor, 27 October 1999

Judhathippatai Flag

by Jaume Ollé	The blue border matches the original source's background and is not part of the flag from the Singha Beer source

From the Singha Beer source:

The Judhathippatai Flag
The Judhathippatai is a red flag with a beautifully caprisoned triple-headed elephant facint ["facing"?] the flag pole. On its back rests a howdah carrying the Royal Insignia. On the insignia itself one can see the initials "Jor-Por-Ror" — the initials of King Rama V, otherwise known as King Chulalongkorn, while above it stands a Pra Kiew or coronet. At the front and back of the elephant are more items of Royal regalia in the form of two multi-tiered white canopies. [Similar to th-kngpr.gif "Royal Flag when the King is not present" above but with green coloured "multi-tier canopies" and improved detail.]

This flag was first used as the national flag in B.E. 2434 [1891 AD] during the reign of King Rama V. Essentially, it replaced Ayyarapot flag created during the reign of King Rama IV and was designed to be flown over the Palace whenever the King was not in residence. It was used as a departmental flag by officers from the Military whenever they were sent on a mission during wartime. The flag, which remained in use right up until B.E.2440 [1897 AD], denoted the presence of the King or was used by officers from the military when lining up on parade to welcome royal dignitaries from abroad. Later, another Ayyarapot flag was created, somewhat similar in appearance to it predecessor, except for the fact that the "howdah" on the elephant's back carried the sacred syllable "Unalome". It was in use until B.E.2453 [1910 AD] when King Rama VI introduced a new Royal flag.

Santiago Dotor, 28 October 1999

Rachini Flag

The blue border matches the original source's background and is not part of the flag
from the Singha Beer source

From the Singha Beer source:

Rachini
The Queen's Standard
This red flag [like Royal Flag when the King is present, only adding a red swallowtail formed by two vertically opposite triangles whose ratio is 5:3 —hoist:fly as usual— and possibly changing light blue to dark blue], measuring 10 by 15 with one side cut into the shape of a bird's tail and the apex reaching a quarter of the way along the flag's total length, contains a dark blue rectangular measuring 6 by 8, in the middle of which stands the coat of arms — similar to the one on the Baromraj-thawach-maha-siamindra.

This flag which first appeared during the reign of King Rama V, was designed for the exclusive use of the Queen. From B.E. 2440-2453 [1897-1910 AD] it was flown from the main mast of the Royal Yacht during official royal trips.

Santiago Dotor, 27 October 1999