Vacharaesorn "Than Aon" Vivacharawongse, the second eldest son of His Majesty the King, made merit at Wat Yannawa in Bangkok’s Sathon district on Thursday, following his surprise arrival in Thailand on Sunday evening.
Vacharaesorn, 42, arrived at the royal temple on Charoen Krung Road with his friends. They were welcomed by Phra Tham Wachiramolee, abbot of Wat Yannawa, and Phra Khru Arthornprasittisophon, assistant abbot.
Many Thai and foreign media members waited in the temple compound to cover him. Thai people who heard about his visit flocked to the temple to welcome him.
Vacharaesorn lit a candle and incense sticks to pay respect to Buddha statues and then gave food offerings to 130 Buddhist monks and novices at the temple’s Dhamma learning school. The abbot then presented him with a replica of Phra Sampao Yannawa, a 16-inch Buddha statue.
Than Aon, fondly called by Thais, then went to the temple’s pier along the Chao Phraya River to make merit by releasing 1,000 fish into the river. He paid tribute to the monument of His Majesty King Nangklao (Rama III) before leaving the temple.
Vacharaesorn is on a visit to the kingdom after living abroad for 27 years.
Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse offers food to a novice at Wat Yannawa in Sathon district, Bangkok, on Thursday. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)
He reportedly departed from the John F Kennedy airport in the United States on Aug 5 on board a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong, where he took a connecting flight that landed at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province on Sunday evening. It was reported that he would stay in the country for about a week.
Upon his arrival, he paid respect to the Supreme Patriarch at Wat Ratchabophit Sathitmahasimaram Ratchaworawihan in Phra Nakhon district on Monday morning and then paid homage to the City Pillar before moving on to Wat Phra Kaew, or Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and Wat Hong Rattanaram Ratchaworawihan.
He also visited a childcare centre for underprivileged children in Bangkok and donated necessary items to the centre.
Vacharaesorn, who holds both bachelor’s and master’s decrees in law from Stetson University College of Law in the US, is second of the four sons of His Majesty the King and his former consort Sujarinee Vivacharawongse. Their younger sister is Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya.
Vacharaesorn on Wednesday posted photos with children at the Foundation for Slum Child Care (FSCC) in Bangkok with a message "The value of heritage comes from its inheritors.” Great pleasure to support FSCC. (Photo: Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse's Facebook)
Video by Nutthawat Wicheanbut