At a studio near Bangkok, a pair of immaculate meter-high statues of the dogs of Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej are getting a last lick of paint before adorning his funeral pyre.
King Bhumibol, a monarch whose reign spanned 70 years, died last October, plunging the country into mourning.
His cremation will take place on Oct. 26, just over a year after his death, in a spectacular funeral to be marked by an elaborate palace ceremony and Buddhist ritual.
Eight months in the making, three master sculptors have nearly finished the statues of the famous “Khun Tongdaeng” and “Khun Cao Cao,” the late king’s favorite canines.
Thais prefix references to Tongdaeng with the honorific “Khun” — roughly translating as ma’am — in a sign of the reverence commanded by all things royal in Thailand.
The dogs will soon be installed at the top tier of King Bhumibol’s 50-meter pyre.
It is “a very special spot that’s close to the king,” said Chin Prasong, a veteran sculptor who describes his task as “the work of a lifetime.”
The late king’s pyre has been constructed to resemble the mythical Mount Meru, the center of the Hindu and Buddhist universe — and is set as a final stage for King Bhumibol, who was revered by Thais as a demigod.
His body, currently in the Grand Palace, will be placed at the centre of the pyre and set alight allowing his spirit to travel to the afterlife.
The tower, will be decorated by more than 500 sculptures of animals, gods and mythical creatures — headed by the pair of royal dogs.
The two dogs were made at the behest of the palace for the special occasion as they were frequently present at the late king’s public appearances.
A 2002 book about the dog penned by him was that year’s best-selling title in Thailand.
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to conform with Thailand’s anti-lese majeste law.
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