His Majesty the King will today preside over the unveiling of the King Rama VIII statue and a newly created public park which will be a new iconic venue for the capital, offering peace and quiet and a commemorative domain for King Ananda Mahidol.
The larger-than-life statue of King Ananda Mahidol looks serenely over the new Suan Luang Phra Ram 8 recreational and cultural area under the Rama VIII Bridge. THITI WANNAMONTHA
The statue of King Ananda, the elder brother of King Bhumibol, and the 35-rai public park, are situated at the foot of the King Rama VIII Bridge on one of the finest locations along the Thon Buri side of the Chao Phraya River.
The park, which is named Suan Luang Phra Ram 8, will also serve as a new cultural and recreational site, said Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra.
Loyal subjects will have yet another chance to greet His Majesty when he leaves Siriraj Hospital to unveil the statue of King Ananda, the eighth king of the Chakri dynasty.
About 5.15 pm, the hospital can expect to be swarming with people flocking to catch a glimpse of their beloved King. Along its pathways out to the streets heading to the King Rama VIII Bridge, onlookers will greet him, shouting "Long live the King" as his car passes - a standard ritual whenever His Majesty ventures outside of the hospital's grounds on official duties.
City Hall proposed the casting of the statue after His Majesty suggested 20 years ago that a new bridge be built to ease traffic near the Pinklao area. He named the asymmetrical cable-stayed structure, which has a single pylon, Rama VIII Bridge.
City Hall wanted Thailand to have a new statue of King Ananda, who was born in 1925 and passed away in 1946, as statues have been cast of all of his Chakri dynasty royal predecessors.
The statues of King Rama I, III, V, VI and VII are in Bangkok, while the King Rama II statue is in Samut Songkhram and the King Rama IV statue is in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The cabinet in 1999 approved the plan to build the statue and create a new public park on 35 rai of land which used to house the state-owned Bang Yikhan liquor factory.
The Fine Arts Department already has an upright metal statue of King Rama VIII, which is about the size of the real person. What City Hall wanted to do was to build a similar one that was three times larger.
"That stage takes the most time and is considered most important," said former department sculptor Chin Prasong, referring to the process of tripling a statue's size.
He, together with three other former department experts - Bunsong Nutnombun, Kwanmueang Yongprayun and Somchai Supradit - had to undertake many careful steps before being able to create the desired size.
The team first made a mould of the metal statue in order to create a plaster cast. They then cut it into parts in order to calculate the larger sizes.
Once they knew the exact sizes, they moved on to sculpting a figure, made of a wooden structure covered with clay. The figure was dissected again in order to cast the plaster sculpture of its parts which would be used as moulds for the new statue.
Casting the pieces of statue and melding them together was the last stage of the work, Mr Chin said.
The statue of King Rama VIII, made of alloy, is placed alongside the Chao Phraya on the Thon Buri side facing towards the Phra Nakhon side of the river.
The budget for building the statue as well as renovating its harmonious surrounds is about 10 million baht, according to City Hall.
Besides the statue, the park consists of important buildings including the King Rama VIII museum, an octagon pavilion and an outdoor stage, all of which make the park an ideal venue for recreational and cultural pursuits.
"We've created it as a waterfront park to serve a wide range of activities from a place for exercise to a new tourist venue," said MR Sukhumbhand.
The park will also serve as another prime viewing point from which people can clearly see the elegance of the boat processions during the Royal Barge ceremony and will facilitate activities of water-related culture, he added.
MR Sukhumbhand is looking forward to the official unveiling of the King Rama VIII statue and park this evening.
Not only will the people have the chance to greet His Majesty the King, but they will also be able to revel in the new memorial venue which will add more beauty to the centuries-old capital.