The Thai people believe that Phra Sayam Thewathirat is a Deva-guardian, or supreme deity, who perpetually safeguards the Nation, the King and the Royal Family. The term was first used by King Rama IV (1851-1868) who realized that Thailand must have long had a Deva-guardian to protect her from all kinds of threat and calamity, thereby ensuring her survival, especially from Western colonialism which, in the end successfully brought all of Thailand’s neighbours under its control. In this regard, as a measure of the far-sightedness and prescience of Thai kings, King Rama III (1824-1851) warned his most senior officials near the end of his reign to start preparing the country against threats from the Western powers, stating that in the future there would no longer be any serious warfare with neighbouring countries, but only conflicts with the West, a prognosis that proved to be remarkably accurate. As a result of this belief in the existence of a benevolent Deva- guardian, King Rama IV commissioned Prince Pradit Worakarn, to create a