arvuth3 Lyrics

Royal cremations in Thailand are full of mythological acts and are visually stunning, he said. The processions can be as long as three kilometres.

Each royal pyre requires the work of at least 200 artisans. The royal pyre for Princess Galyani Vadhana will take the artisans six months to complete. Some construction materials such as gold paper are imported from China. The Surayud Chulanont government approved a budget of 300 million baht for the royal funeral and part of the fund will cover building the pyre and surrounding structures at Sanam Luang.

Under traditional beliefs, the royal pyre must be removed from Sanam Luang the day after the cremation to prevent bad luck.

The dismantled royal pyre of the late Prince Siriraj, a son of King Rama V, was used to help build a nursery that was later developed as Siriraj Hospital. The late Princess Mother's royal pyre was later used for a building at Patumwanaram temple - the nearest temple to Sraprathum palace.

For Group Captain Arvuth, now 66, a royal pyre is perhaps the most elaborate piece of traditional Thai architecture.

He said: ''This structure is built to signify the passing of a member of the Royal Family to heaven. The work must be of elaborate craftsmanship, more than that of temples and palaces. Even the staircases of the structure are fully decorated,'' said Group Captain Arvuth. But it is an ironic form of art as well. ''One hardly feels happy working on the structure as it is related to death and loss. It can make people feel melancholy and people can still feel its breathtaking beauty at the same time,'' he said.

''As an architect, I am so proud to be given the chance to do this work. But I wish this royal pyre would never have to be built for I wished the late Princess Galyani Vadhana would not pass away,'' added Group Captain Arvuth.

visually - in a way that involves the appearance or something or looking at something เห็นได้ด้วยตา
stunning - very impressive or beautiful สวยตระการตา น่าตะลึง
dismantled - taken apart; having the parts of something separated so that they no longer form a single unit ส่วนที่แยกออกมาก
nursery - a place for young children อนุบาล
signify - to be a sign or symbol of something เป็นสัญลักษณ์
ironic - interesting because it is the opposite of what you would expect ประทดชดประชัน
melancholy - a feeling of sadness ความเศร้าโศก
breathtaking - extremely impressive or beautiful งดงามตระการตา