Despite the introduction of the constitutional monarchy system in 1932, Thais continue to respect the King much as they did in the absolute monarchy period. This demonstrates that the institution of monarchy is deeply-rooted in Thai society, and the concept of kingship prevailing in that period was not much affected by the 1932 revolution. Although the legal authority of the monarch has been substantially curtailed to that of a Head of State, the people’s reverence of the monarchy as an indispensable traditional institution is still prevalent. The system of absolute monarchy in Thailand can be traced back to the Sukhothai period when King Sri-Intradhit established a kingdom at Sukhothai in 1238 freeing itself from the control of the Khmer Empire. The patriarchal kingship was founded in that year based on the original Thai concept of the father-child relationship. It was believed that the Sukhothai people referred to their king as Pho-khun or ‘revered’ father. As Prince Dhani put it, “The monarch was of course the people’s leader in battle; but he was also in peace-time their father whose advice was sought…” The monarchical rule was firmly established during the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng. The Indo-Buddhist influence on the conception of the kingship become more prevalent thereafter when the kings were referred to as Dharmaraja or the righteous ruler. In fact, King Ramkhamhaeng himself had set a model of the righteous ruler abiding by the dictates of Buddhist morality. The concepts of kingship and the government authority during the Ayudhya period were a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism. The absolutism of the kingship during this period was based on Hindu theory which considered the king as god or Devaraja. But this absolutism was constrained by Buddhism which provided the concept of Dharmaraja or the righteous king. Therefore, as David Wyatt pointed out, “the Brahmanical concept of the Devaraja, the king as god, was modified to make the king the embodiment of the law, while the reign of Buddhist moral principle ensured that he should be measured against the law’. The late Prince Dhani in his article on “the Old Siamese Conception of the Monarchy”, also reflected on the nexus between Hinduism and Buddhism in the Thai concept of kingship. He pointed out that the rule and duties of the King was based on the Thammasat or Dharmsatra which “describes its ideal of a monarch as a King of Righteousness, elected by the people”. The ideal monarch, as the prince noted, abides ‘steadfast in the ten kingly virtues’. The Ten Royal Virtues or Tosapitrajadharma were drawn from both Hindu and Buddhist thought. King Asoka of ancient India who, in Somdej Phra Buddhajinavamsa’s words, personified the Buddhist ideal of kingship tried to establish a Buddhist welfare state. He was known to be the one who observed the ten Royal Virtues which included charity, good conduct, sacrifice, honesty, gentleness, simplicity, freedom from anger, non-violent behavior, tolerance and inoffensive nature. simplicity, freedom from anger, non-violent behavior, tolerance and inoffensive nature The influence of Buddhism on the Thai concept of kingship not only can be seen in the concept of Dhamaraja mentioned above but in the belief that the King is a Bodhisattva or incipient Buddha. According to Hinayana Buddhism, since the accumulation of merit is rewarded by rebirth to a better life, the King must be the one who had accumulated an abundance of merit in his former lives. In other words, he must be the one who has barami. The word barami can be translated loosely as charisma. But, in fact, it means more than charisma. Barami often refers to personal character or a disposition of benevolence and compassionate use of power. As William Klausner, a well known expert on Thai culture and society stated, “for barami one should also possess a certain gravitas which connotes a weighted dignity and seriousness of purpose. Barami is earned by a serious dedication to performing beneficial works and by doing so with dignity, wisdom and vision”. Not every king in the Ayudhya period observed the Ten Royal Virtues or used his barami to wisely maintain his political legitimacy. Palace coups often were carried out to overthrow the King when his officers lost faith in him. Under the present system of constitutional monarchy, the theory of the Devaraja is no longer accepted, but the people continue to respect the present King as their ‘revered’ father. This is because of his barami which he has accumulated throughout more than sixty years of his reign. He is considered the Dharmaraja who has strictly observed the ten royal virtues, and this is where his moral authority comes from. His charisma or barami as a Dharmaraja, as William Klausner rightly notes, ‘is personal and not transferable’. The extent of one’s barami depends on the possession of the ten kingly virtues and the ruler’s righteous behavior. These attributes are personal and are not related to one having the title of Devaraja or Dhammaraja.