The hand crafted teak wood elephant¹ represents the now endangered Asian elephant which has played a significant part in Thailand’s history both past and present. The country itself is often referred to as The Kingdom of the Elephant and in wars past, soldiers often used elephants in battle, with the white elephant reserved for royalty and war commanders who took part in the forays.

The elephant is crowned by a Buddhist amulet in the form of a Garuda², a mythological half man half eagle beast of Buddhist and Hindu tradition. The Buddhist amulet is representative of how Buddhism has influenced much of the culture, history, and heritage of this nation. The statue and images of Garuda adorn many Buddhist temples in Thailand and is considered a cultural national symbol. This symbol has been adopted as a symbol of the Thai royal family and called Phra Khrut Pha meaning "Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu".

Fun Fact: As the Thai King is believed to be a human reincarnation of the god Vishnu, Garuda being his mount/vehicle makes everything that transports the king, be it a car, airplane, or boat, a Garuda too!

The bronze figurine sitting on top of the garuda and elephant then represents the Thai King³, a monarch revered by the Thai people and supposedly embodies Buddhist principles. Thailand also enforces strict lese-majesté laws which forbid any criticism of the monarchy. The Thai King also wears a representative Great Crown of Victory, considered the predominant insignia of sovereignty. The actual crown is part of the royal regalia's crown jewels and is made of gold, adorned with precious gemstones, and topped with a great diamond called Maha Wichien Mani which was added by King Rama IV. The crown is of a distinctive Thai design, being a multi-tiered conical diadem, terminating in a tapering spire.

The figurine's hands are also depicted in the national form of greeting known as the "wai". It is done by placing the hands palm to palm and raising them to the face, about the level with the mouth or chin is normal, with a slight bow of the head. When greeting, the younger or socially 'inferior' greets the elder or socially 'superior' first. The figurine is also made out of bronze, the material used to create the many large reclining Buddha statues that adorn the temples Thailand is famous for.

The figurine sits on a silk handkerchief⁴ to symbolize the textile and garment industry playing a significant role in Thailand's economic and social development. From a historic base of silk and cotton production, Thailand’s textile industry has diversified to everything from hi-tech synthetic yarns to wool fabrics, cotton bed linens to technical textiles, and pajamas to high fashion. Thailand is one of the few countries in the world that can supply the complete textile industry chain, from upstream, through midstream, to downstream, from petrochemical and natural fiber production, to fabric and textiles, all the way to design, production, and sale of apparel, creating a multi billion dollar industry that accounts for more than half of Thailand's global exports.

Beside the main elephant are a few baby elephants. The black lacquer teak wood elephant⁵ with Thai tradition gold leaf motif represents Thailand's artistic and creative craftsmanship. The handmade straw weaved elephant⁶ represents Thailand as the largest rice producer in Southeast Asia, second globally to only India. Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of the rice crop after the grain and chaff have been removed. Rice is cultivated by more than four million family farms in Thailand and is so significant to the Thai economy that the government has invested in R&D to shift the concept of rice from a commodity product to rice as an innovative product.

In between these two elephants is a paper model of Pra-Ram⁷, a God-King in the Ramakian, translated "Glory of Rama", one of Thailand's most culturally significant national epic. Thai mythology proclaims that the God Pra-Ram descended form heaven, assumed a human form as the King of Ayutthaya, and fought Thot-Sa-Kan in order to rescue his beloved wife from him. Pra-Ram is a symbol of great courage and justice.

All the elephants are protected by a hand painted elephant motif Sa Paper Umbrella⁸ which is one of the most famous and distinctive northern province handicraft product from Bo Sang Chiang Mai. The umbrella is an important symbol of royalty as Thai monarchs sit on thrones under nine-tiered umbrellas, the tiers representing the eight points of the compass and the burden of power. While in Buddhism, the umbrella represents protection from suffering and harm. This Sa Paper Umbrella was custom made during my honeymoon trip to Thailand where we stayed at the LeMeridien hotel.

Reference: (1) Teak wood elephant found in damnoen saduak floating market; (2) Garuda Buddhist amulet found in Rod Fai Night Market at srinakarin road; (3) "Bronze" king figurine is actually made of brass and was found in Suvarnabhumi International Airport; (4) Colourful cloth handkerchiefs found in chatuchak weekend market; (5) Black lacquer teak wood elephant with Thai tradition gold leaf motif found in Chiang Mai Laitong Lacquerware; (6) Handmade straw weaved elephant found in chiang mai night bazaar; (7 )Pra-Ram God-King paper model from 7-Eleven in Bangkok; (8) Hand painted elephant Bo Sang Sa Paper Umbrella from umbrella making centre borsang village complimentary from Le Meridien Chiang Mai Unlock-Art programme.