Inauguration of new Thai Supreme Patriarch

BANGKOK, Feb. 12 (TNA) – Somdet Phra Maha Muniwong is set to be inaugurated as the 20th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand late Sunday. The formal inauguration of the country’s new Supreme Patriarch, which will be presided by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, takes place at Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, in capital Bangkok from 5pm His Majesty the King will arrive at the royal temple at 6pm, after that will participate in religious activities in the chapel, according to a statement issued by the Bureau of the Royal Household. During the ceremony, the brass bell in the temple will be hit 20 times to mark this auspicious occasion, while all monks across the country are asked to perform chants and strike brass bells in their temple simultaneously. Hitting brass bells in the royal temple is considered a rare traditional practice, which happens only during the inauguration of the Supreme Patriarch or royalties in the country. On Februay 7, HM the King named Somdet Phra Maha Muniwong, 89, the abbot of Wat Ratchabophit, as the new head of monks in Thailand after His Holiness Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara died in 2013 at the age of 100. (TNA)