The public is being invited to pay respects to the sacred relic of the Buddha's tooth that has been loaned by China and will be enshrined at Sanam Luang from Thursday till Feb 14, said government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub.
Mr Jirayu said the sacred relic arrived in the kingdom yesterday at the Wing 6 Royal Thai Air Force base in Don Mueang at 12.20pm.
At 1.19pm, Thai and Chinese monks jointly performed a chanting ceremony and were joined by Chen Ruifeng, head of the National Religious Affairs Administration of China, Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit and other executives including Chinese Ambassador Han Zhiqiang and Chousak Sirinil, the PM's Office Minister.
A grand procession featuring over 2,700 people left the airport at 2.42pm and passed through Yaowarat Road and Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue before the relic was enshrined inside a pavilion at Sanam Luang.
The ceremonial enshrinement at Sanam Luang was chaired by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra at 5pm.
The Buddha's tooth will stay in Bangkok for 73 days, marking the auspicious occasion of the sixth cycle birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King, which fell earlier this year on July 28. It also commemorates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China next year.
People can pay homage to the Buddha's relic daily from 7am to 8pm. The government has also arranged public buses, prepared flowers for worship and postcards of the sacred relic for the public.
The sacred relic, normally housed at Lingguang Temple in Beijing, was discovered in 1955 inside an ancient pagoda near Xi'an and was enshrined in the Buddha Tooth Relic Stupa inside the temple, one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists in China.