Thailand has been mourning for a year. For the past eight months of the mourning, a sprawling funerary complex has been under construction in Bangkok’s Sanam Luang, a royal field reserved solely for such cremations.
On Thursday, that mourning will culminate with the cremation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned 70 years until his death last October at 88.
Workers and artisans have put innumerable hours into erecting a structure modeled after Mount Meru, a sacred place at the center of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology.
Three billion baht (USD$90 million) has been allocated for the funeral.
Take a virtual reality tour of the funerary pyre recorded on a recent visit.
The video is available embedded above and below from YouTube. On the desktop, use your pointing device to look around. On a smartphone, move your phone around to change the viewing direction. Users of Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard or virtual reality headsets should check their documentation on how to view using their devices.
