Sword of Victory

Phra Saeng Khan Chai Si^[1] or Phra Saeng Khan Chai Sri^[2] (Thai: พระ แสง ขรรค์ชัย ศรี, the "Venerable Sword of Victory",^[1] "Great Sword of Victory"^[2]^[a]) is part of the royal regalia of the King of Thailand. The sword represents the military might and power of the king. The hilt has a length of 25.4 centimetres (10 inches) with the blade measuring 64.5 centimetres (25 inches). When placed in the scabbard the sword has a total length of 101 centimetres (40 inches) and weighs 1.9 kilograms (4.2 pounds). The sword’s neck between the blade and the hilt is decorated with a gold inlaid miniature of Vishnu riding the Garuda.^{[citation needed]}

History

The sword was found in 1784 by a fisherman in Cambodia who found it in his fishing net (in Tonle Sap^{[citation needed]}) at Siem Riep, and Chao Phraya Uthai Phubet who ruled presented it to Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) of Thailand,^[3]^[b] his suzerain at the time. According to legend, it was said that the moment the blade arrived in Bangkok, seven lightning strikes hit the city simultaneously, including the city gate (Wiset Chaisi), where the blade entered, and over the main gate of the Grand Palace (Phiman Chaisi).^[3]

During the coronation ceremony the king is handed the sword by a Brahmin, then straps it onto his belt himself. The sword features heavily in the Oath of Allegiance Ceremony where the King ceremoniously dips the sword into a bowl of sacred water, and then drinks the water as an example, followed by senior civil servants and military officers as a sign of allegiance to the institution of the monarchy.^{[citation needed]}

Explanatory footnotes

↑ "Phra" is a royal honorific prefix.
↑ Note that "The Royal Regalia Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut (The Great Crown of Victory).. was made during the reign of King Rama I".^[3]

References

1 2 Stengs, Irene (2009). Worshipping the Great Moderniser: King Chulalongkorn, Patron Saint of the Thai Middle Class. NUS Press. pp. 141–142. ISBN 9789971694296.
1 2 Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, ed. (2007). "Royal Emblems". The King of Thailand in World Focus: Articles and Images from the International Press. Editions Didier Millet. p. 242. The seal is surrounded by five major items of royal regalia : the Great Crown of Victory, the double - edged Great Sword of Victory (Phra Saeng Khan Chai Sri). (Discussion of The House of Chakri crest)
1 2 3 "The Royal Regalia". Thailand Illustrated. 23 (3): 43ff. 2006.

Sources

Siamese Jewels-Regalia

This article relating to swords is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

This Thailand-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

[3] "Phra" is a royal honorific prefix.

[5] Note that "The Royal Regalia Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut (The Great Crown of Victory).. was made during the reign of King Rama I".^[3]

[stengs-1] 1 2 Stengs, Irene (2009). Worshipping the Great Moderniser: King Chulalongkorn, Patron Saint of the Thai Middle Class. NUS Press. pp. 141–142. ISBN 9789971694296.

[foreign_correp_club-2] 1 2 Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, ed. (2007). "Royal Emblems". The King of Thailand in World Focus: Articles and Images from the International Press. Editions Didier Millet. p. 242. The seal is surrounded by five major items of royal regalia : the Great Crown of Victory, the double - edged Great Sword of Victory (Phra Saeng Khan Chai Sri). (Discussion of The House of Chakri crest)

[thailand_illustrated-4] 1 2 3 "The Royal Regalia". Thailand Illustrated. 23 (3): 43ff. 2006.

[1]

[2]

[a]

[3]

[b]

History

See also

Explanatory footnotes

References

Sources