poster with battle scene in PhitsanulokJanuary 25th is the memorial day of King Naresuan the Great, Thailand’s national hero and warrior king. It is thought that the legendary elephant duel, during which he defeated the Burmese crown prince, took place on that day in 1592. It is thus memorialized as Royal Thai Army Day. People gather at the many shrines and statues in honour of Naresuan — every army base has at least one — making offerings and chanting prayers.
Here in the North, a shrine near the ruins of the Chan Royal Palace in Naresuan’s birth place, Phitsanulok, is widely known as a place of veneration of this historic monarch.
Don Chedi, though, in Suphanburi province, is Central-Thailand’s focus of devotion. During a festival in January, this site dominated by a one-and-a-half life-size statue of the king riding his battle elephant, is crowded with devotees. Behind the statue rises a chedi built over the ruins of a memorial, believed to have been erected by Naresuan himself to commemorate his victory.