Coronations in Asia

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Coronations in Asia in the strict sense are and historically were rare, as only few monarchies, primarily in Western Asia, ever adopted the concept that the placement of a crown symbolised the monarch's investiture. Instead, most monarchies in Asia used a form of acclamation or enthronement ceremony, in which the monarch formally ascends to the throne, and may be presented with certain regalia, and may receive homage from his or her subjects. This article covers both coronations and enthronement.

Coronations by country

Bhutan

Kings of

Buddhist ceremony that involves the offering of various ritual prayers by the new king, the royal family and other notables.[1] The king dons a special diadem known as the "Raven Crown", symbolic not merely of his own authority, but also of the raven-faced protector deity of Bhutan, Legoen Jarog Dongchen.[2] As in neighboring Nepal (prior to 2008), the precise date for the ritual is selected by court astrologers.[3]

Brunei

The Sultanate of Brunei crowns its ruler in formal ceremony of coronation (istiadat perpuspaan) held in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city, wherein a gold crown is given to the new Sultan as well as the dagger Keris Si Naga (The Dragon Dagger), symbolizing his royal authority, as a 21-gun salute is fired by personnel of the Military Police of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Following this, senior traditional ministers appointed from the royal family (Wazir) and the principal senior-ranked Cheteria (titled nobles) in the order of precedence, will remove their swords from their scabbards and brandish them before the audience to show loyalty and fidelity to the new Sultan. A proclamation consisting of 7 statements (Puja Puspa) will be read, by the most senior Wazir. The royal musical ensemble (Naubat Diraja) will play Naubat Iskandar after each statement is read, followed by a senior traditional minister shouting to the audience to pay homage to the newly crowned Sultan followed by the acclamation Daulat Kebawah Duli Tuan Patik by the Grand Chamberlain. The coronation is traditionally held one year following the Sultan's ascension.

The last such coronation was held on 1 August 1968, for the present Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah in the Lapau, or ceremonial hall, having been crowned by his father and immediate predecessor Omar Ali Saifuddien III.[4]

Various items of royal regalia used during the coronation are exhibited at the Royal Regalia Building in the capital city.[5]

Cambodia

Norodom Sihanouk in coronation regalia, November 1941

The

Royal Palace in Phnom Penh by placing two wreaths of jasmine atop a golden pillow. Then, bowing before the offerings, he lights a bundle of incense sticks and placed them around the table before taking a seat on the red-carpeted floor. Prayers are read, punctuated by the sound of conch-shell horns. The ruler then enters the Tevea Venichhay Throne Hall, where he lights a stout candle encased in gold-gilded glass. This candle, which represents victory throughout the king's reign, is left burning until the final day of the coronation festival. Nine Buddhist monks then shower the King with jasmine buds. Finally, the monarch makes his way to the throne, bowing three times to it before retreating to his private area of the palace.[6]

The following day commences with the new king taking a ritual bath in water drawn from the Kulen Mountains, whose water is believed by Cambodian royals to be exceptionally pure. The bath is said to wash away the king's impurities, and increase his prestige.[7] The new monarch is carried into the Preah Thineang Dheva Vinnichay, or Throne Hall, of the Palace on a gold chair, at the head of a large procession. Orange-clad Buddhist monks, one for every year of the king's life plus one, chant blessings. The king prays before statues of his ancestors inside the Hall. While priests blow on conch shells outside, the ruler next takes a formal oath to observe the constitution and to rule in the country's best interests. Following this, he receives various items of the royal regalia, including a calico cat, golden slippers, and the jewel-encrusted gold crown and sword.[6][8]

The last such ceremony was held in 2004 for the current monarch, Norodom Sihamoni. Unlike some previous Cambodian rulers, Sihamoni chose not to wear the crown during his coronation.[6]

Iran

Empress Farah
at their coronation ceremony in 1967.

The

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran in 1967. The ceremony took place in the Grand Hall of the Golestan Palace, and commenced with the ceremonial entrance of the Crown Prince into the coronation hall. Moving past the assembled guests, the prince took his place in front of a throne set to the left of his father's, where he remained standing awaiting the arrival of his parents.[9]

Next, the Empress Farah entered the room, followed by six maids of honor; these were followed in turn by the Shah, preceded by the heads of the Iranian army, navy and air force. He took his place in front of the Nadari throne, where his wife curtsied to him, while a choir intoned the hymn Avalin Salam. The crowns of the Shah and empress were brought in next, together with a copy of the

Qur'an; at this, the Shah seated himself on his throne, the entire assembly being seated afterwards.[9]

The ceremony itself began with the

Iranian regalia were brought forward. The Shah first received the Emerald Belt, followed by the Imperial Sword and Robe. Finally, the Pahlavi Crown was presented, and the Iranian ruler placed it upon his own head in accordance with Iranian custom. After this, the Shah was given the Imperial Sceptre, after which he crowned his empress and listened to three loyal addresses, the first made by a representative of the royal family (usually the Crown Prince). The Shah then offered an address of his own, following which he received the homage of all male members of his family.[10]

Jerusalem

The first two

Kings of Jerusalem, Baldwin I and Baldwin II, were crowned in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Between 1131 and 1186, coronations were held in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, was the only king crowned in Jerusalem in the 13th century.[11]

The new monarch was dressed in the palace by the chamberlain. The chamberlain, who bore the royal sword, then headed procession to the Church in which the coronation ceremony took place. The chamberlain then handed the crown, sceptre and the rest of the regalia to the monarch. The coronation was followed by a feast for the noblemen who attended the ceremony.[11]

The regalia possessed by the Kings of Jerusalem, as well as coronation ceremony itself, were influenced by those of Byzantine emperors. The coronation of

Baldwin I of Constantinople was notably similar to the coronation of the Kings and Queens of Jerusalem.[11]

Laos

Savang Vatthana, was not crowned due to a communist insurgency which led to the abolition of the Laotian monarchy in 1975.[13]

Myanmar

Kings of Burma were crowned in a way similar to its South-East Asian neighbors. There were huge Hindu and Buddhist influence on the coronations.

Nepal

Kings of

Hindu ceremony whose date was determined by court astrologers. Prior to the actual coronation, eight different kinds of clay were ceremonially applied to various parts of his body, and the new king took a ritual bath in holy water. Afterwards he was sprinkled with clarified butter, milk, curd and honey by representatives of the four traditional Vedic varna ashrama dharma: a Brahman, a warrior, a merchant and a sudra, a laborer. Only then was he ready to be crowned.[14] At precisely the "right" moment, the royal priest placed a jewel-studded crown[N 1] on the new king's head. The royals next rode on elephants through the streets of Kathmandu
, together with other distinguished guests.

Thailand

Brahmanic rites, including the presentation of a nine-tiered umbrella (symbol of royal authority) and other items of the royal regalia to the sovereign. Without this, no Thai king can assume the title of "Phrabat" or use the umbrella.[15]

Vajiralongkorn's coronation began with a ceremonial bath, following which the new king put on the white robes of a Brahmin

astrologer. Afterwards, he received and is anointed from nine pitchers filled with sacred water, drawn from eighteen different sites in Thailand, by a senior Brahmin and representatives of the government and the royal family. The nine-tiered umbrella was then presented, followed by five other items of the royal regalia: the Great Crown of Victory, the Sword of Victory, the Royal Staff, the Whisk of the Tail Hairs of a White Elephant, a Small Flat Fan, and a pair of Golden Slippers. In accordance with Thai tradition, Vajiralongkorn placed the crown upon his own head, then received a special golden Ring of Kingship as a gun salute was fired by artillery.[16][17]

After this, the new Thai ruler seated himself upon the Bhatarabit Throne at the

Temple of the Emerald Buddha where he made a solemn vow to protect the Buddhist religion, followed by a short memorial service.[16]

Enthronements by country

China

The only monarch in Chinese history to have been formally crowned (Chinese: 加冕; pinyin: jiāmiǎn) was Ying Zheng, who later became the first Emperor of China. Although he had acceded to the throne of Qin at the age of 13, when he reached the age of majority at 22 in 238 BC, he was additionally crowned. The coronation symbolised that he would take charge of the state affairs himself, instead of the regents who had ruled in his name since his accession. However, this coronation did not equate to accession, and no other Chinese monarch was ever "crowned".

Enthronement ceremonies in

prayers to the Heaven, from which, according to the state theology, the emperor derived his mandate to rule. The emperor would then proceed to the main hall of the Forbidden City, where he was ceremonially enthroned on the Dragon Throne. Court officials then entered the throne hall in order of seniority, and offer memorials of congratulation. Finally, the emperor's accession edict would be read out. In later enthronements, the edict would be carried out of the Meridian Gate accompanied by a stately procession, and finally be carried by a litter to the top of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where it would be read out to subjects in the capital Beijing
and representatives of all the peoples of China.

The last widely recognised enthronement ceremony of the Qing dynasty occurred in 1908 with the enthronement of the Puyi. In 1915, Yuan Shikai, then President of the Republic of China, declared his intention to be enthroned as the Emperor of the Empire of China. Yuan had staged a dress rehearsal for the proposed enthronement ceremony, but then the attempt at monarchy was abandoned in the face of overwhelming public opposition. In 1917, Puyi was again enthroned without ceremony during the short-lived Manchu Restoration. Finally, in 1934 Puyi was enthroned as Emperor of Manchukuo, a Japanese-controlled puppet state in northeastern China, which was largely unrecognised internationally and which ceased to exist at the end of World War II in 1945.

India

The coronation of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire

In Indian monarchy, the royal enthronement ceremony is called

rajyabhishek.[18]

Korea

The main contents and the procedure of The enthronement ceremony of

Goryeo Dynasty was recorded in Goryeosa
. The Enthronement Ceremony in which the new king succeeded to the throne was performed soon after the preceding king’s death. At this ceremony, the new king received regalia. and the new king promulgated amnesty. Through Enthronement Ceremony the new king got sovereign power of king.

The Enthronement Ceremony was concluded with performing the rite in the royal ancestral shrine, Tae‒myo(태묘 太廟) or Gyeong‒ryeong‒jeon(경령전 景靈殿). Performing that ceremony, the new king got justness of king’s authority. In Goryeo, also

Abhiseka rituals(관정도량 灌頂道場) as the enthronement ceremony were held to increase the new king’s authority. Abhiseka originated from the ancient enthronement ceremony of India. It has been considered to be a very important ceremony to inherit the esoteric Buddhism. In Goryeo Abhiseka rituals as the enthronement ceremony appeared to raise the royal authority. Through enthronement ceremony, the descend kings were just the succession of lineage, also they had to be true ruler. Therefore King of Goryeo should show that he was a deified ruler.[19]

The enthronement ceremony of

Changdeokgung Palace
.

A record of the 1724 coronation of Korean King

Joseon Dynasty has been preserved. According to this account, Yeongjo began his crowning ritual at noon on 26 October, by entering the funeral chamber where his deceased predecessor, Gyeongjong, lay in state. Having announced to his departed brother that he was assuming the royal mantle, Yeongjo burned incense before his remains, then entered the Injeongjeon Hall, where he was seated upon his throne. In the courtyard below, ranks of servants and bureaucrats bowed to him four times, shouting in unison each time: "Long live the king"! Following this, the new monarch left the throne room and changed back into mourning clothes for the reading of his accession edict. The decree contained the new king's pledge to rule justly and benevolently; it equally promised reductions in criminal sentences, provisions for the needy, and gifts for all of Yeongjo's loyal officials. The edict closed with a plea for help and cooperation throughout the reign to come.[20]
The Empire of Korea ended in 1910 with annexation by Japan, with the country subsequently splitting into a communist state (North) and republic (South) after the events of World War II.

Japan

The

Yasakani no magatama
(八尺瓊曲玉), a necklace of comma-shaped stone beads. Unlike other monarchies, Japan has no crown for its ruler.

The second part of the ceremony is the enthronement ritual itself, previously held in Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. The most recent enthronement of Emperor Naruhito in 2019 was held in Tokyo instead. The ritual is not public, and the regalia itself is generally seen only by the emperor himself and a few Shinto priests.

The Daijo-sai or the Great Thanksgiving Festival is the final inauguration ritual, involving sacred rice, sake, fish and a variety of other foods from both land and sea that are offered to the Sun-goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami. This ceremony effects a singular union with the goddess, thus making the new emperor (in Shinto tradition) the immediate intermediary between Amaterasu-ōmikami and the Japanese people.[21][22]

Malaysia

The nine royal rulers of

regalia including the Tengkolok Diraja, or Royal Headdress—as opposed to a crown. According to legend, the first Sultan of Perak
swore off the wearing of any diadems after the miraculous refloating of his ship, which had run aground during his journey to establish his reign in Perak. Hence, while Malaysian coronations are rather elaborate affairs, they do not involve the imposition of a crown. Instead, a special headdress is worn by the new king that since 1957 is in the style of the rulers of the self electing ruler state of Negeri Sembilan. (However, the states of Selangor and Johor still have their rulers crowned, a latter British influenced addition.)

The new king proceeds into the Istana Negara Throne Hall at the head of a large procession also consisting of his spouse, specially-picked soldiers carrying the royal regalia, and other notables including the

Qur'an, which the new monarch reverently receives, kisses, and places on a special table located between his throne and the queen's, and afterwards, he is then with presented his ceremonial saber, which he removes it from the scabbard, kisses its sheath, and returns it back to the scabbard and placed near the throne chair. A formal proclamation of the new king's reign is read, followed by the taking of a special coronation oath and the acclamation by the Grand Chamberlain, following which the National Anthem Negaraku is played with a 21-gun salute in the background. The Prime Minister gives a special speech, which is followed by an address by the new king from the throne. A prayer is said, the Qur'an as returned to the Chamberlain, and the ceremony is completed as the new king leaves the throne hall.[23]

See also

Notes

This section contains expansions on the main text of the article, as well as links provided for context that may not meet Wikipedia standards for

self-published
.

  1. ^ A photo of the last Nepalese king, Gyanendra, in coronation regalia may be seen at Cross-Cultural Studies: Ethnographic Performances in Nepal (May 2004) Archived 2011-05-27 at the Wayback Machine.

References

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  2. ^ "Bhutan National Symbol, Bhutan Raven Crown — YANA Expeditions, Inc". Yanatravel.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  3. ^ "Bhutan to crown its fifth king in November | Reuters". In.reuters.com. 23 July 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  4. ^ Liputan Perpuspaan KDYMM Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam. YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Jabatan Muzium-Muzium Brunei". Museums.gov.bn. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  6. ^ a b c "Royal Pledges". Camnet.com.kh. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  7. ^ "Cambodian Online News New King Coronation November 2004". Cambodianonline.net. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  8. ^ "King Sihamoni's reign begins". Abc.net.au. 29 October 2004. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  9. ^ a b "Coronation of the Shah of Iran". Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Coronation of the Shah of Iran". Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  11. ^
    ISBN 0-415-23000-4. Archived from the original
    on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  12. ^ "Laos — Ethnic Diversity". Countrystudies.us. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  13. ^ "The Official Website of Prince Somsanith". Princesomsanith.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  14. ^ "Coronation in Katmandu". time.com. 10 March 1975. Archived from the original on 26 May 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  15. ^ "Pattaya Mail — Pattaya's First English Language Newspaper". Pattayamail.com. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  16. ^ a b "Pattaya Mail Features". Pattayamail.com. Retrieved 7 November 2008.
  17. ^ "The secretariat of the Cabinet". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  18. .
  19. ^ Kim Cheolwoong (2015). The Enthronement Ceremony in Goryeo Dynasty. The Academy of Korean Studies.
  20. .
  21. ^ Schoenberger, Karl (23 November 1990). "Akihito in Final Ritual of Passage - Japan: The emperor communes with his mythical ancestor, the Sun Goddess, in a night-time, controversial rite of enthronement". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  22. ^ Steven R. Weisman (23 November 1990). "Akihito Performs His Solitary Rite". New York Times. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  23. ^ "Yang di-Pertuan Agong". Malaysianmonarchy.org.my. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.