Page 154 - The Royal Coronation Ceremony

The Royal Fan and Fly Whisk

or “Walawichani”

The “Walawichani” made in the reign of His Majesty King Buddha Yod Fa Chulalok (Rama I)
was the form of a fan made of a palm leaf, and was so-called a palm-leaf fan. The rim of the fan was
trimmed with gold and the rod was made of enameled gold. Originally it was called “Phatchani Fak
Makham” or the “Fan in the shape of a tamarind-pod.” The meaning of its name was reconsidered by
His Majesty King Mongkut (Rama IV) who recognized that for the name “Walawichani,” taken from the
Pali language, use of a palm leaf fan may not be the correct interpretation. It referred more to a whisk-like
item, made from the hair of a yak, as the word “Wala” meant the hair of one type of a cow, an animal
that Thais called “Chammari.” Hence, His Majesty King Rama IV ordered a fly whisk to be made with
the hair of a yak and to be included in the Royal Regalia. In a later period, yak hair was replaced with
the hair from the white elephant’s tail, and the name was changed to the White Elephant Fly Whisk. But
as it would be deemed inappropriate not to use the original royal Palm-Leaf Fan, His Majesty ordered
the use of both the Palm-Leaf Fan and the “Chammari Fly Whisk,” and together had them called the
“Walawichani.”

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The Royal Coronation Ceremony