Ceremony of the Presentation of the World Tipitaka 2016 Editions to His Majesty the King of the Belgians on the auspicious occasion of the 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the King of Thailand on 28 July 2024

          In 1893, King Chulalongkorn or King Rama V of Siam (later Thailand) ordered the printing for the first time the Tipitaka in Siam script and later disseminated them to friendly countries including to Belgium which has begun diplomatic relations with Siam since 1868 with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce. Seven sets of the Tipitaka arrived in Belgium in 1896 and one was kept at the Royal Library of Belgium. 

          On 15 May 2025, the Royal Thai Embassy in Belgium and the World Tipitaka Foundation, in collaboration with the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) KBR, organised the Ceremony of the Presentation of the World Tipiṭaka Saj-jhā-ya Phonetic 2016 Editions, which features the “King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Edition” (40 volumes) with a Pāḷi phonetic reference and “the Queen Sirikit’s Edition” (40 volumes) with Pāḷi Monotone Music Notation, to mark the auspicious occasion of the 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the King of Thailand on 28 July last year. The Ceremony was attended by 70 people, including Thai monks in Belgium and Luxembourg, representatives from the Royal Household of His Majesty the King of the Belgians and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, ambassadors and representatives of Buddhist countries in Brussels, Belgian authorities and academia, Friends of Thailand, as well as Thai community in Belgium.

          During the ceremony, the history of the making and dissemination of Tipitaka by Thailand since the late 19th century as an act of cultural diplomacy as well as the longstanding relations between Thailand and Belgium, in particular between the two Royal Families, was mentioned in speeches by H.E. Mrs. Kanchana Patarachoke, Ambassador of Thailand to Belgium; Thanpuying Varaporn Pramoj Na Ayudhya, the President of the World Tipitaka Foundation; Ms. Sara Lammens, Director-General of the Royal Library of Belgium, and; Mr. Xavier Lepoivre, Advisor to the Royal Household of His Majesty the King of the Belgians. The participants also had the chance to listen to the Saj-jhā-ya chanting from the Queen’s Edition and witnessed the handover of the tomes.

          The 2016 Editions will be later registered as one of the book collections of the KBR. Those who are interested to view both editions of the Tipitaka may contact the KBR for more information. (Address: Mont des Arts 28, 1000 Brussels ; Tel. No. +3225195311; E-mail: [email protected])