A year after his death, King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s body was moved on Wednesday night from the Grand Palace in an elaborate gold chariot pulled by more than 200 men to the 165-feet cremation pyre in a nearby square before his cremation on Thursday.
People from all over the country travelled to the capital to pay their respects to the world’s longest-reigning monarch who was revered as a demigod and ruled for 70-years.
Hundreds of thousands of mourners dressed in black lined the procession route, many who slept overnight on thin plastic mats near the palace to secure a good view.
Many mourners have spent days in tents amid severe rainy-season downpours and searing subtropical temperatures to say their final goodbyes during the day-long procession.
Hotels were booked up weeks ago, with Thursday declared a national holiday and a quarter of a million people expected to arrive in Bangkok.
A tearful Pimsupak Suthin, 42, who travelled to Bangkok from the northern province of Nan for the funeral: “This is the last goodbye. I really love and miss him. It is very difficult to describe.”
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the only son of the former sovereign, arrived at the Grand Palace dressed in a red uniform with his two daughters and young son.
He presided over Buddhist chanting as the urn was removed by soldiers and placed onto a golden chariot as other senior members of the Thai royal family walked behind the urn.
Later on the new king will perform the final service at the three-tiered crematorium which represents Mount Meru, the centre of the Buddhist and Hindu universe what Thai royal are believed to return after death.
Thailand’s leading artisans have spent 10 months building the impressive golden crematorium with nine gilded spires adorned with images from mythology and the king’s life, including statues of his two favourite dogs.
A total of £68million has been set aside for the funeral, the likes of which has never been seen in Thailand, officials in charge of preparations have said.
King Bhumibol, also known as King Rama IX, died last October aged 88 after ruling for seven decades. He played a pivotal role in maintaining stability during years of political upheaval and rapid development.
Piyamat Potsopho, 38, said she had been waiting for the king’s funeral procession since Wednesday night.
She said: ”I was very fortunate to have been born under the reign of King Rama IX.”
Another Bangkok resident, Suchinda Samparp, 67, said: “It’s so hard to describe the dedication I’ve seen, how people have come out to help each other and how the late king has inspired this.”
Analysts say the king’s death has left a large vacuum in the Thai psyche.
Thailand has observed a year of mourning for King Bhumibol and radio and television stations have played songs dedicated to the monarch almost non-stop since his death.
The songs urge Thais to follow in “father’s footsteps”.
King Bhumibol is often referred to as “father” by Thais and is credited with reviving the popularity of the monarchy in Thailand.
Many businesses around the Southeast Asian nation were shut, while Bangkok’s old quarter was draped in floral garlands made of marigolds.
Some government buildings placed potted yellow marigolds around portraits of the late king and buildings along the funeral procession were draped in yellow sheets.
King Bhumibol was born on a Monday, a day which Thais associate with the colour yellow.