His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great was born on December 5, 1927 to Prince Mahidol of Songkhla and Mom Sangwan. His Majesty is the ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty and the longest-reigning monarch in the history of Thailand.

His Majesty the King is well recognised as the heart and soul of the Thai nation. He is held in the high esteem not only by his own subjects, but His Majesty also commands enormous respect from people in all parts of the world.

Everywhere he goes, people turn up to greet him in hundreds of thousands. The manner in which His Majesty conducts himself, giving his whole heart and attention to the people, immediately linked the living symbol of the nation to the people in a bond of matual understanding and personal affection.

The main concern of His Majesty is for the uplifting of the general well-being of the people. Evidence of this can be drawn from His Majesty the King's ceaseless efforts to visit his subjects in the rural areas. The aim of his Majesty's visits is to learn at first hand about the needs of his subjects.

To obtain such information, His Majesty has to travel many thousands of kilometers throughout the kingdom and, whenever possible, suggests ways to overcome the difficulties. These visits have led to the establishment of over 1,000 Royal and Royally-initiated projects. They are implemented by the relevant agencies of the government after having been given advice and assistance by His Majesty.

His Majesty is the first member of the Royal Family to be granted a patent for an invention. The registered patent is for one of His Majesty's "Chai Pattana Machines" - the Chai Pattana Aerator Model RX 2. The patent rights call it an "apparatus for water treatment", which is used for agricultural and industrial purposes and can be seen operating in many polluted waterways.

Buddhism is the national religion of Thailand and HisMajesty can stantly shows himself to be a convinced and dedicated disciple of the Lord Buddha. To follow the tradition of young Buddhist men to go into the monastery for a period of time, His Majesty entered the Buddhist monkhood at Wat Bovornnives on 22 October 1956. The Constitution of Thailand, however, does not prescribe the King to be only the Defender of the Buddhist Faith, but also to be the upholder of all Religions. He gives equal attention to the protection of al forms of worship and also to the problems of other religious communities inThailand.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great came to the throne on June 9, 1946. The meaning of his name is "Strength of the Land, incomparable Power". Since that date he has reigned over the Kingdom of Thailand as a constitutional monarch. At the Coronation Ceremony on May 5, 1950, His Majesty the King pronounced the traditional Oath of Accession which stated: "We will riegn with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people". His Majesty's actions since then has thoroughly reflected those words and have always been directed towards increasing the welfare and prosperity of the Thai nation.

On his birthday, which is observed as a National Holiday, all his subjects rejoice in demonstrating once more their affection and loyalty to him. Religious rites are held, houses and buildings are decorated with flags, lights and his portraits. The whole nation prays to the Holy Triple Gem and all the sacred things in the universe to bless His Majesty with good health and happiness and the strength to carry on his onerous task.

This story comes from "Essays on Thailand" by Thanapol Chadchaidee. It is used here with his permission. The book contains 60 essays about Thailand written in Thai and English.