Königliche Zeremonien

Die Badezeremonie im Fluß

THE RIVER-BATHING CEREMONY

Nahhanah tittha mangalam (Pali, tittha landing-place, nahanam bathing, mangala auspicious) is the classic term applied to the Riverbathing Ceremony in Siam, but the popular form of the ceremony was formerly known as bidhi mangala lan da son vay nam "auspicious rite of taking the child out to bathe at a river (or sea) landing and teaching him to swim". The name of the popular form of the ceremony is interesting as showing that in former times the ceremony retained its early function of marking a definite stage in the development of the child, an occasion on which it was taught to swim, and after which it would be regarded as more independent and capable of taking care of itself. This stage of initiation was immediately antecedent to that marked by the tonsure, after which the initiate was regarded as having definitely bidden farewell to childhood days. The importance of the river-bathing ceremony in the social life of a people like the Siamese, whose welfare largely depended on their being amphibious at an early age, is evident. But like most of the other samskaras, probably as a result of the influence of Buddhism, the popular ceremony lost its hold on the people and died out about 180 years ago, after which the ceremony as performed for Cau Fa princes and princesses, in practice only the heir apparent, alone remained in favour. This royal ceremony was performed in the ninth, eleventh, or thirteenth year of age, and is called simply bidhi lan srah "the bathing ceremony". It will be seen from the account which follows, that the observance has lost its early function and degenerated into a rather meaningless ceremonial bath and abhiseka, in analogy to many other royal ceremonies.

I am not aware of the existence of any record of the manner in which the popular form of the ceremony was performed, but there is material for a fairly detailed description of the river-bathing ceremony of Cau Fas. The following account refers to the first occasion on which the lan sran was revived at Bangkok, after the destruction in A.D. 1767 of the old capital, Ayudhya, and it became the model for future royal ceremonies of the kind.

In the year A.D. 1813 the eldest son of King Rama II by a royal mother attained the age of nine years, and his father reflected that, whereas in the first reign tonsures had been performed in the style of those of Ayudhya, the river-bathing ceremony of Cau Fas had not yet been carried out. The older people who had seen this ceremony at Ayudhya had nearly all died, and the knowledge of the way in which it should be carried out would soon be lost. Accordingly, at the coming of the fourth month (Phalguna), Prince Cau Fas Kram Hlvan Bidaksa Mantri and Cau Brahya Sridharmadhiraja were appointed superintendents of the river-bathing ceremony of the young prince.

The preparations for the lan sran resembled those for the sokanta (tonsure of Cau Fas) except that instead of a Kailasa mountain being built within the Grand Palace enclosure, a four-sided spire-roofed shrine (mandapa) was erected on a pontoon, similar to those used for Siamese floating houses. The pontoon was moored at the royal landing, and the mandapa, which stood on the central part of the pontoon, was built of figwood (udumbara) covered with white cloth, and had carved doors at each of the four sides. Beneath the mandapa the pontoon was cut away to make a bathing-pool, with a floor beneath the water-level made of a trellis of strong bamboo laths, protected on the outside by the meshes of a net, while the inside of the floor and walls of the bathing pool were covered with cloth. Thus a safe artificial bathing place was constructed, into which the river water was admitted but from which noxious aquatic animals were excluded. Running round the edge of the bathing pool, at the water-level, was a foot-board on which people could stand, and to which access was obtained from the floor of the pontoon by means of three ladders, a silver one on the north, a gilded one on the south, and a so-called "crystal" one on the eastern side, which was nearest to the landing-place. On the western edge of the pool, within the manadapa, was placed a seat of two stages for the murdhabhiseka, while three artificial prawns, of gold, red-gold, and silver respectively, three fish of similar materials, a pair of gilded coconuts, and a pair of silvered ones, were also placed at hand. Possibly the artificial prawns and fish were meant to represent the wonderful aquatic fauna of the Anotatta lake in the Himalayan fairyland, while it may be presumed, on the analogy of the bundle of coco-nuts carried on royal barges in lieu of life-belts, that the gilded and silvered coco-nuts used in this ceremony were intended to be used as floats by the young prince.

The mandapa was surrounded by three concentric rows of rajavat fences, decorated with gold, red-gold, and silver umbrellas respectively. At the four corners of the mandapa the Brahmans placed tables to support the chank-shell water, and the consecrated water called nam krat "sharp or powerful water", for sacrificing for victory. During the ceremony, soldiers armed with lances, the handles of which were draped in gold, stood within the middle fence, ten men to each of the three exposed sides. Between the middle and outer fences stood soldiers armed with iron swords, fifteen to each of the three sides. Outside the outer fence there were soldiers armed with swords, sixteen to each of the three sides, while in the water near the raft there were soldiers similarly armed, to the number of sixteen on each of the three sides. On the north side of the pontoon, outside the fences, stood soldiers armed with flint-locks. Pavilion-barges were moored alongside the landing, while monkey barges, garuda barges, guard boats, and war barges with figure-heads representing various animals, the paddlers wearing red hats and coats, cast anchor in a circle to the number of thirty-nine boats. There were boats manned by crocodile hunters, and boats casting nets in order to catch any malignant beasts which might enter the protected circle, and endanger the safety of the young prince during the ceremony. Inside the Grand Palace enclosure, a pavilion vas erected for the Brahmanic rites and a hallowed circle (brahden mandala) was prepared in the Tusita Maha Prasada (throne hall) for he recitation of auspicious stanzas by the Buddhist monks. Protective threads (say sincana) of unspun cotton were passed round each of the places at which rites were to be performed in order to preserve them from evil influences, as in the Tonsure ceremony.

On Friday, the fourth day of the waxing of the fourth month, the young prince was attired in white in the Baisala Daksina section of the Royal Residence, whence, in the afternoon, he proceeded in state accompanied by a procession similar to that of the Tonsure, by a circuitous route partly outside the palace wall, to the Tusita Maha Prasada. There the king, who had gone by a more direct route, was waiting to assist him from his palanquin. The palace ladies led him by be hand and invited him to have his feet washed by the pages in a silver basin. When this had been done he entered the throne hall, sat down within the hallowed circle, and listened to the recitation of paritta suttas. Afterwards the king entered and lit candles of worship, repeated the sila precepts, and remained to listen to the paritta recitations until they were finished. The palace ladies then led the prince to the mounting stairs, and the king assisted him to mount his palanquin, after which lie returned with the procession to the Royal Residence. similarly, on the following two evenings, the prince went in state to listen to the Buddhist recitations. but this is to be regarded merely as the preparation which is the prelude to most important royal ceremonies.

On Monday, the seventh of the waxing, in time morning, fifteen monks went to recite auspicious stanzas at the bathing place. When the prince arrived in state, the king assisted him from his palanquin, and the palace ladies led him, to the landing where lie removed his shoes and ornaments. As the auspicious time drew near, the king led the prince by the hand from the landing to the "raft of scented water". Then Prince Bidaksa Mantri took the young prince by the hand and, following the king, they went to the mandapa. The king sat upon a chair within the rajavat fences, and the prince sat on a cushion near the chair. The Brah Maha Raja Gru (High Priest of Siva) floated the gold, red-gold, and silver prawns and fish, and the two pairs of gilded and silvered coco-nuts in the bathing pool. The hora (astrologer) made an oblation to the water at the auspicious time of 7.18 a.m. Officials beat the Gong of Victory, sounded the conches and other musical instruments, and fired signal guns in the bows of the barges, all at the same time. The king carried the young prince to the "crystal ladder" and Prince Cau Fa Kram Khun Isaranuraksa (the Uparaja) received him in his arms and carried him down to the bathing pool. He let him seize the coco-nuts and bathe in the river water in the pool. Then he brought him up and placed him on the anointment seat, where the young prince was sprinkled by the king with water from a dextrorse chank. The Sangharaja sprinkled him with water which had been consecrated by means of the recitation of Buddhist mantras, the senior members of the royal family sprinkled him with water from sacred lotus gourds, and lastly, the Brahmans offered chank-water and nam krat. When this bathing in scented waters was finished and the young prince had changed his wet robes and was dressed in royal ceremonial dress, he was accompanied by Prince Bidaksa Mantri to the landing. There the procession was already drawn up, its members having now donned red garments. The king having assisted the prince to mount the palanquin, the procession returned in state to the Royal Residence via the circuitous route outside the walls, but the king proceeded to the Tusta Maha Prasada and made offerings to the monks who had officiated. Later, the prince, having removed his ceremonial attire and dressed himself as usual, went by the short inner route to the Tusita Maha Prasada and made offerings to the monks, afterwards returning by the same way.

Meanwhile in the Cakrabartibiman section of the Royal Residence officials had set up three pai-sris of gold, silver, and crystal respectively bearing offerings of food; and in front of these they had placed the young prince's throne. In the afternoon, the young Cau Fa, dressed in the attire of a prince of the highest rank, went in state procession to the Cakrabartibiman, where the king received him and escorted him to the golden throne prepared for him. He was now about to relinquish the personal name that had been given him at the naming ceremony a month after birth. At the auspicious time of 2.36 p.m. the ceremonial instruments were sounded, and a golden plate (subarnapata) was presented to the prince, on which were inscribed his new style and title, as follows: Cau Fa Mankut Sammutidevavansa Bansa Israksatriya Khatiya Rajakumara. Then the taper-waving rite (vian dian) was performed by the Brahmans, for the benefit of the prince. The final rite of the lan sran, as of the Tonsure, was the sambhoj, or feast, in which the young prince partook of a small quantity of coconut milk mixed with food from the pai-sris, as nourishment for his khvan spirit. This rite was repeated twice again, on the eighth and ninth days of the waxing, being thus performed thrice in all.

It should be remarked that it was more usual and proper in Siam to change the names and title of persons of the royal family after they had undergone the tonsure, for not only does that ceremony symbolize a more complete break with childhood, but there is also the classical Indian precedent of the god Khandhakumara, whose name was changed to Maha Vighnesa after tonsure.

Owing to the lack of Cau Fa princes the lan sran was not again performed until January 1887, in honour of the future King Rama VI. Extant photographs as well as a skilfully made model in the National Museum enable us to appreciate that the ceremony was celebrated with a splendour which even more than the Tonsure may he held to vie with that of the Coronation itself.