Vases that will be used to collect water for the King's coronation ceremony on May 4 will be delivered to the Interior Ministry this month, according to Ratchaburi governor Chayawut Chanthorn.
Exactly 125 are being made in this central province west of Bangkok by Rattanakosin Ceramic 4. The company, owned by 62-year-old Sukchart Kosabodi, has produced sacred vases before on contract.
The ministry chose Ratchaburi because it has a strong reputation for making high-quality pottery.
The vases will be used to collect water from 77 provinces on April 6.
Mr Chayawut gave the media a tour of his factory on Monday. Craftsmen were seen using paintbrushes to draw elaborate patterns using liquid gold on the porcelain.
The next and final step is to have them heated in a furnace.
He said three prototypes have been made. Spares will be produced in case anything goes awry before the big day, he added.
On March 31, the vases need to be ready to be packed in boxes and handed to the ministry.
Later they will be distributed to all provinces for a water-collecting ceremony on April 6.
In some provinces with more than one water source, more than one vase will be provided.
State artists at the Office of Traditional Arts, which operates under the auspices of the Culture Ministry, designed the vases and have supervised every step of production.
"A provincial symbol will be put on one side of the vase, and the coronation emblem on the other," Mr Sukchart said.
In Ratchaburi, water will be collected for the ceremony from Kosinarai lake in tambon Tha Pha of Ban Pong district.
Two sacred lakes in Prachin Buri that will provide water are getting facelifts.
The water from 77 provinces will will be sent to Wat Suthat Thepphawararam, where it will be blessed before a consecration ceremony on April 18.
The consecrated water will be used for the Royal Purification Ceremony, known in Thai as Song Phra Muratha Bhisek.
