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 His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great
was born on December 5, 1927 to Prince Mahidol of Songkhla and Mom Sangwan.
His Majesty is the ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty and the longest-reigning
monarch in the history of Thailand.
His Majesty the King is well recognized as the heart and soul of the Thai
nation. He is held in high esteem not only by his own subjects, but His
Majesty also commands enormous respect from people in all parts of the
world.
Everywhere he goes, people turn up to greet him in hundreds of thousands.
The manner in which His Majesty conducts himself, giving his whole heart and
attention to the people, immediately linked the living symbol of the nation
to the people in a bond of mutual understanding and personal affection.
The main concern of His Majesty is for the uplifting of the general
well-being of the people. Evidence of this can be drawn from His Majesty the
King's ceaseless efforts to visit his subjects in the rural areas. The aim
of His Majesty's visits is to learn at first hand about the needs of his
subjects.
To obtain such information, His Majesty has to travel many thousands of
kilometers throughout the kingdom and, whenever possible, suggests ways to
overcome the difficulties. These visits have led to the establishment of
over 1,000 Royal and Royally-initiated projects. They are implemented by the
relevant agencies of the government after having been given advice and
assistance by His Majesty.
His Majesty is the first member of the Royal Family to be granted a
patent for an invention. The registered patent is for one of His Majesty's "Chai
Pattana Machines"- the Chai Pattana Aerator Model RX 2. The patent rights
call it an "apparatus for water treatment", which is used for agricultural
and industrial purposes and can be seen operating in many polluted
waterways.
Buddhism is the national religion of Thailand and His Majesty constantly
shows himself to be a convinced and dedicated disciple of the Lord Buddha.
To follow the tradition of young Buddhist men to go into the monastery for a
period of time, His Majesty entered the Buddhist monkhood at Wat Bovornnives
on 22 October 1956. The Constitution of Thailand, however, does not
prescribe the King to be only the Defender of the Buddhist Faith, but also
to be the upholder of all Religions. He gives equal attention to the
protection of all forms of worship and also to the problems of other
religious communities in Thailand.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great came to the throne on June
9, 1946. The meaning of his name is "Strength of the Land, incomparable
Power". Since that date he has reigned over the Kingdom of Thailand as a
constitutional monarch. At the Coronation Ceremony on May 5, 1950, His
Majesty the King pronounced the traditional Oath of Accession which stated:
-"We will reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the
Siamese people". His Majesty's actions since then have thoroughly reflected
those words and have always been directed towards increasing the welfare and
prosperity of the Thai nation.
On his birthday, which is observed as a National Holiday, all his
subjects rejoice in demonstrating once more their affection and loyalty to
him. Religious rites are held, houses and buildings are decorated with
flags, lights and his portraits. The whole nation prays to the Holy Triple
Gem and all the sacred things in the universe to bless His Majesty with good
health and happiness and the strength to carry on his onerous task.
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