Thai society is still a deeply religious and spiritual one, and those royal roles have been central to upholding King Bhumibol's image as a man who embodies dhamma virtues.
Obituary: King Bhumibol
A life in pictures
King Bhumibol's reign - in brief
The king proved skilled at behaving in a manner which reinforced that image. Today the sacred aspect of the monarchy is an important source of its popularity.
From the mid-1950s on, the king travelled widely, and took an active interest in rural development projects.
How effective his interventions really were is difficult to gauge, given the swirl of royalist propaganda, but they certainly established him as a caring ruler who was working hard for his people.