Bangkok
The Bangkok city seal shows the Hindu God Indra riding in the clouds on Airavata, a divine white elephantknown in Thai as Erawan. In his hand Indra holds his weapon, the vajra, a legendary and ritualistic tool, symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt. The seal is based on a painting done by Prince Naris, a brother of King Chulalongkorn. The tree symbol of Bangkok is the common Ficus benjamina. The giant barb has been chosen as the aquatic animal of Bangkok. The official city slogan, adopted in 2012, reads:
“As built by deities, the administrative centre, dazzling palaces and temples, the capital of Thailand.”
Thailand
The flag of Thailand shows five horizontal stripes in the colors red, white, blue, white and red, with the central blue stripe being twice as wide as each of the other four. The design was adopted on 28 September 1917, according to the royal decree issued by Rama VI. Since 2016, that day is a national day of importance in Thailand celebrating the flag.
The colors are said to stand for nation-religion-king, an unofficial motto of Thailand, red for the land and people, white for religions and blue for the monarchy, the last having been the auspicious color of Rama VI.
The Garuda
The Garuda is a birdlike mythological beast of the Hindu and Buddhist tradition. According to mythology, the Garuda is a large hybrid half-man and half-bird creature. The Garuda is often depicted in art as having the head, beak, wings and talons of an eagle, while his torso is like that of a human man. In the book Traiphum Phra Ruang, a Thai Buddhist literary work composed in the 14th century, he is described as having a body that was 150 yojanas across (1 yojana equivalent to 1.6 kilometres), his left and right wings 150 yojanas each, his tail 60 yojanas long, his neck 30 yojanas, his beak 90 yojanas and his talons 12 yojanas each.
