Sunanda Kumariratana

Sunanda Kumariratana (, , ; 10 November 1860 – 31 May 1880) was a queen consort of Siam.

Background She was a daughter and fiftieth child of Siamese King Mongkut (Rama IV) and Princess Consort Piam. She was the half-sister and first wife of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Siam (now Thailand). No one else died in the accident.

Funeral The grief-stricken Chulalongkorn demanded a resplendent funeral for them. Preparations for the funeral took 10 months and the funeral ceremony did not begin until 10 March 1881. The bodies of the queen and princess were dried with injections of quicksilver and stored in golden urns while precious woods were collected for the construction of a funeral pyre; royal facilities where the king and entourage resided during the cremation ceremonies were also constructed in a location referred to as Pra Mane. The funeral pyre was reported to be tall and was built over an altar where the urns were placed for cremation.

The proceedings and celebrations were opulent, attended by many, and documented in great detail. Chulalongkorn lit the funeral pyre around 6:00p.m. on 15 March to the sound of horns, and the pyre burned throughout the night. Celebrations ended on 20 March with a procession to the Grand Palace.

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