In 1975, the Thailand Post issued 8 stamps with figureheads of the Royal Barges of Thailand. The procession of the Royal Barges is a ceremony of both religious and royal importance, which took place for almost 700 years. Royal barges are a mixture of craftsmanship and traditional Thai art. The royal barge procession is rarely, marking only the most significant cultural and religious events. The royal procession of barges currently consists of 52 barges: 51 historical barges and the Royal barge, Suban Naray Song, which King Rama IX built in 1994. This is the only barge built during the reign of King Bhumibol. The royal procession of barges most likely began during Ayutthaya in the 14th century. Western visitors have testified and written about the “huge procession with 200 boats” upon arrival in Thailand in the 18th century. During the processions, the rowers kept to the rhythm with the help of drum beats to the music. This traditional boat song was written by the late Ayutthaya Prince Dhamma Dibes. The names of the four royal barges were composed according to their location in the procession: the host was supposed to be - “Anantanakkharat” - viewtopic.php? F = 2 & t = 7072; followed by respectively: “Suphannahong” - - viewtopic.php? f = 2 & t = 16967, “Narai Song Suban” - viewtopic.php? f = 2 & t = 11654 and “Anekkachatphuchong” - viewtopic.php? f = 2 & t = 16966. Escort barges consist of various classes of barges. Most of their bows are decorated with a pattern or figure of a mythical creature. Other types have less elaborate design. Krabi class barges consist of four barges with figurheads of the Hindu epic “Ramayana”: “Pali Rang Thawip”, “Sukrip Khrong Mueang” - viewtopic.php? F = 2 & t = 16972; “Krabi Run Ron Rap” - viewtopic.php? F = 2 & t = 16976; “Krabi Prap Mueang” (No stamp). Barges of the Asura class - viewtopic.php? F = 2 & t = 16968 - these are two barges with figurheads half of birds, half-mountains. The figurhead on the “Asura Vayuphaka” has an indigo body in a purple cloak;” Asura Paksi” has a green body with a purple (front) and green (back) coat. The current fleet of barges was rebuilt during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as some were affected by the bombing of Bangkok during World War II. The dock that kept them, located in the Bangkok Noi area, became the National Museum of the Royal Barges. Only eight important barges, including all four royal barges, are exhibited in the museum due to limited space.
Thailand 1975. Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Barge_Procession.