Garuda Phaya Krut: Mythology, Royal Emblem, and Thai Amulets

Garuda Phaya Krut is the Thai name for Garuda (ครุฑ, khrut), a bird-like being of Hindu and Buddhist mythology who is best known as the mount (vahana) of the god Vishnu [5], [1]. In Thailand the Garuda, called Phra Khrut Pha (พระครุฑพ่าห์, "Garuda the vehicle"), is the national emblem and a symbol of royalty; the English Wikipedia notes that its use was regulated by an Act on the Garuda Emblem in 1991, published in the Royal Gazette that year and amended in 1992 [6], [16], [17]. Garuda figures also appear in temple art, on royal barges and on some Thai amulets [7], [8], [18].

Key facts

What is Garuda in Hindu mythology?

Garuda is a deity described in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions, and in Hindu texts he is mainly shown as the mount of Vishnu [5]. Early texts already know a winged figure called Garutman: the Rigveda mentions him, and the Shatapatha Brahmana presents Garuda as the personification of courage [5]. In Chinese the name is written 迦楼羅 (Jiālóuluó), and in Khmer it is Krud [5].

Hindu texts differ on how he is shown. In bird form he is eagle-like; in part-human form he may have an eagle's nose, beak or legs, an emerald-coloured body and golden-yellow wings, with two or four hands [5]. When he is not carrying Vishnu he may hold a jar of amrita, the nectar of immortality [5]. Vishnu himself is often shown reclining on the serpent Shesha, while his mount is the bird king Garuda [9].

The story of Garuda, Vinata and the nectar

In the account summarised on Thai Wikipedia, Garuda is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Vinata; Kashyapa's other wife, Kadru, is the mother of the nagas [1]. The English Wikipedia adds that Garuda's elder brother Aruna became the charioteer of the sun god Surya [5]. Kadru and Vinata wagered on the colour of the horse Uccaihsravas, with the loser to serve the other for 500 years. Vinata said the horse was white, which it was, but Kadru had her naga sons cling to its coat as black hairs, and Vinata lost and became her slave [1].

To free his mother, Garuda learned that the nagas wanted amrita. He flew to heaven, fought Indra and the other gods, and could not be defeated [1]. Vishnu then fought him as well; neither side prevailed, and they agreed a truce in which Vishnu offered Garuda immortality and a position higher than his own, and Garuda promised to be Vishnu's mount and to appear on the flag of Vishnu's chariot [1]. In this account Garuda brought the nectar to the nagas and set it on kusha grass; while the nagas bathed, Indra took the jar back, and the nagas licked the grass in case drops remained. A popular explanation for the forked tongue of snakes is attached to this scene, and from then on Garuda and the nagas were enemies [1]. The English Wikipedia gives other versions, including one in which Vishnu simply asked Garuda to be his ride [5].

Is Garuda a Buddhist figure too?

Yes. In Buddhist texts the Garuda (Pali garuḷa, also supaṇṇa, "well-winged") are enormous predatory birds, one of the eight classes of non-human beings within saṃsāra [5]. They have kings and cities, some can take human form, and their dwellings are in groves of the simbalī (silk-cotton) tree [5]. Jātaka stories place them in Nāgadīpa [5]. In Buddhist art they are shown sitting and listening to the Buddha's sermons, and the English Wikipedia lists Garuda as a dharmapala in Buddhism [5]. The same article reports that Śakra appointed Garudas to guard Mount Sumeru and the Trāyastriṃśa heaven against the asuras [5].

The Pali canon speaks of them directly. In the Suddhika Sutta (Saṁyutta Nikāya 30.1), which Bhikkhu Sujato translates as "phoenixes", the Buddha says there are four kinds of supaṇṇa birth: from eggs, from a womb, from moisture, or spontaneously [14].

Garuda and naga: what does the myth say?

In Hindu tradition Garuda is the half-brother of the nagas and "an enemy of every serpent" [5]. Thai Wikipedia, summarising the Mahabharata, says Garuda and the nagas were siblings who quarrelled until they became enemies [1]. The English article notes that in the Mahabharata Garuda eats snake meat [5].

Nagas are described as a divine or semi-divine race, half-human and half-serpent, who live in the netherworld (Patala), can take human form, and are also called dragons or water spirits [10]. They are associated with rivers, lakes, seas and wells and are described as guardians of treasure [10].

Buddhist sources keep the enmity but add a settlement. According to the English Wikipedia, the Pandara Jātaka (J.518) tells how nagas learned to swallow large stones so that Garudas could not carry them off [5]. In the Mahāsamaya Sutta (Dīgha Nikāya 20) verses, the Buddha keeps the dragon kings safe from the "phoenixes", and the dragons and phoenixes both take the Buddha as refuge [15]. The English Wikipedia describes this passage as the Buddha making a temporary peace between nagas and Garudas [5].

What is Phra Khrut Pha, the Thai royal emblem?

The national emblem of Thailand is called Phra Khrut Pha, rendered in English as "Garuda as the vehicle (of Vishnu)"; the English Wikipedia describes it as the arms of dominion of the Thai monarch and says the Garuda was officially adopted as the national emblem by Vajiravudh (Rama VI) in 1911, although it had been a symbol of royalty in Thailand for centuries [6]. Thai Wikipedia states the Garuda had been used on royal seals since the Ayutthaya period and that it came to stand for the king because of the Indian doctrine, received in Siam, that the king was an avatar of Narayana (Vishnu), whose mount is Garuda [1]. The English Wikipedia describes the same belief about the ancient kings of Thailand [6]. Hinduism's role in the early Thai institution of kingship is also noted in the Wikipedia article on Buddhism in Thailand [13].

Seals and the history of the emblem

During the Ayutthaya period the king held several seals of different designs, and a law of 1635 is reported to have regulated which seal was used for which documents [6]. In the Rattanakosin period four great royal seals were used, among them the Khrut Pha seal; the four seals represent Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma and Indra, and are now kept by the Secretariat of the Cabinet [6].

In BE 2416 (1873) King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) designated a European-style coat of arms as the national emblem [2], [6]. The English Wikipedia reports that in 1893 he judged the coat of arms too foreign and asked Prince Naris to design a Garuda seal; that Rama VI abandoned the coat of arms in 1910; and that an Act on the Seals of State of 1911 established the Garuda seal as the principal seal [6]. Thai Wikipedia gives a slightly different timeline, saying the Garuda was used from after BE 2436 (1893) and fully replaced the earlier emblem in BE 2453 (1910) [2].

Where the emblem appears

The English Wikipedia says the Garuda emblem appears on the letterhead of almost all Thai government documents and is also used on government buildings, title deeds, boundary markers and the uniforms of the Royal Thai Police and armed forces [6]. It adds that the Garuda appears on Thai banknotes [5], [6], and that Siam's coins have shown a Garuda since at least the Ayutthaya era [5].

The English Wikipedia reports that Rama VI chose the posture called Khrut Ram ("dancing Garuda", wings displayed) but that no law has ever prescribed one specific design, so several designs are in use [6]. Indonesia also uses a Garuda in its national emblem [5].

What does Thai law say about the Garuda emblem?

The Garuda Emblem Act BE 2534 (1991) was signed on 4 September 1991 and published in the Royal Gazette on 15 November 1991 [16]. Act No. 2 BE 2535 (1992), published on 14 February 1992, amended several sections [17]. The summary below reports the two Acts as published in the Royal Gazette in 1991 and 1992 (transcribed on Thai Wikisource). It does not cover any later amendment and is not legal advice.

• Definition. The Act as published defines "Garuda emblem" as an emblem in the form of a Garuda, in any posture, whether or not other text, pictures or marks accompany it [16], [17].
• Who sets the rules. The 1991 Act provides that use in government service follows rules set by the Cabinet and published in the Gazette, that use in the King's own affairs follows royal wishes, and that other uses follow a Royal Decree [16].
• Offence. Section 13 as published in 1992 provides for up to one year's imprisonment, a fine of up to 6,000 baht, or both, for a person who has no right (or whose right has ended) to make or use the Garuda emblem, a royal warrant or a warrant emblem and does so to make others believe they have the right, or who refuses to return a warrant when called to do so [17].

The English Wikipedia gives the fine as 3,000 to 6,000 baht [6]; the Gazette text above sets only the upper limit.

What is a royal warrant, and why do some company buildings show a Garuda?

A royal warrant of appointment (ตราตั้ง, tra tang) allows a company to display the royal Garuda. The English Wikipedia says warrants have been issued for decades, first to suppliers of goods or services to the King and later also to companies that have shown exceptional service and commitment to the economic and social development of the nation [12]. The warrant is typically shown on hoardings, letterheads and products, with the phrase "By Appointment to His Majesty the King" (โดยได้รับพระบรมราชานุญาต) beneath the emblem, and some companies display a large Garuda statue at their headquarters; one example in the article is the head office of Bangkok Bank [12]. Warrants are granted in the name of the King, and the number of holders is not made public [12].

The Act as published in 1992 sets out the procedure. It provides that an application is filed with the Bureau of the Royal Household; if the Bureau finds that the applicant meets the qualifications (including sound finances and lawful, honest business), it submits the matter to the King for permission, after which the Prime Minister, in the capacity of having authority over the Bureau, issues the warrant and announces it in the Royal Gazette [17]. The same text makes the warrant personal to the holder, provides for the Bureau to recall it if the holder dies, stops the licensed kind of business or transfers it to someone else, and provides for revocation [17]. It defines the warrant emblem as the Garuda with the words "โดยได้รับพระบรมราชานุญาต" beneath it, or foreign-language text set by the Bureau [17].

Where are the Garudas at Wat Phra Kaew?

Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, lies within the Grand Palace in Bangkok [7]. Bangkok became the capital of the Rattanakosin Kingdom on 6 April 1782, and construction of the ubosot (ordination hall) began under Rama I in 1783 according to the English Wikipedia [7]. Thai Wikipedia says the ubosot was begun in BE 2325 (1782) and completed in BE 2327 (1784) [3]. The English article gives February or March 1785 for the installation of the Emerald Buddha, while the Thai article gives 7 March BE 2327 (1784); the sources differ [7], [3].

The base of the ubosot is built in several layers. The lowest has painted floral tiles, above it is a lotus-pattern level in coloured glass, and the next level carries the Garudas [7]. The English Wikipedia counts 112 Garudas, each grasping two nagas, around all four sides, gilded and inlaid with glass mosaic [7]. Thai Wikipedia also gives 112, describing them as gilded cast-metal figures of Krut Yut Nak (ครุฑยุดนาค, "Garuda seizing nagas") on the lotus-shaped base [3].

The roof pediments at the two ends of the ubosot show Narayana (Vishnu) mounted on a Garuda that holds the tails of two nagas [7]. Thai Wikipedia describes the same pediment as carved wood [3]. The brackets under the roof take the form of nagas with their heads pointing downwards, which the English Wikipedia links to the legend of Mucalinda, the naga king who sheltered the Buddha from rain [7]. The ubosot is single-storeyed, with its main entrance on the eastern end [7].

Which royal barges carry a Garuda?

The Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya River currently consists of 52 barges, 51 historical barges and the Narai Song Suban, manned by 2,082 oarsmen [8]. It runs from the Wasukri Royal Landing Place in Dusit to Wat Arun and is used for events such as the Royal Kathin Ceremony [8].

The Narai Song Suban (เรือพระที่นั่งนารายณ์ทรงสุบรรณ) is named for "Narayana on his carrier, Garuda" [8]. The English Wikipedia says its keel was laid in 1994, that it was built for the Royal Thai Navy and the Fine Arts Department, and that it was launched on 6 May 1996 to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of King Bhumibol's accession [8]. Thai Wikipedia gives the Golden Jubilee celebration date as 9 June BE 2539 and says the Navy built the hull structure and oars while the Fine Arts Department handled the artistic work; the figurehead was modelled on figureheads made in the reigns of Rama III and Rama IV [4]. The same article gives its length as 44.3 metres and its crew as 50 oarsmen [4]. The Thai article adds that the earlier barge of this name began under Rama III as the Mongkol Suban with a Garuda prow [4].

Two other barges, the Krut Hern Het (red Garuda, "Flying Garuda") and the Krut Tret Traichak (pink Garuda), carry Garuda figureheads with nagas caught on their wings and feet [8], [1].

What do we know about Phaya Krut amulets?

An amulet is defined as a spiritual object believed to confer protection or grace on its possessor; statues, coins and drawings are among the things commonly used as amulets across cultures [11]. In Thai the form Phaya Krut (พญาครุฑ) is used in the press for Garuda amulets [18].

One maker whom the Thai press names in connection with Phaya Krut amulets is Phra Achan Warah Puññavaro, of Wat Pho Thong in Bang Mot [18], [19]. Daily News (26 December BE 2562, 2019) reports that his Phaya Krut figure amulets were first produced in BE 2536 (1993) in two designs, made in gold, silver and nawaloha, and lists later series dated from BE 2538 to BE 2554 (1995 to 2011) [18]. Thairath (6 August BE 2560, 2017) gives the year of the first production as BE 2537 (1994), so the two reports differ [19].

The Daily News article also describes what devotees expect of these amulets. This encyclopedia does not state such expectations as fact. For observed asking prices of Thai amulets in general, see our observed listing prices.

Where to see pieces like this — Our sister shop, Shogun X Amulets, has a page on Garuda: https://shogunxamulets.com/?s=Garuda&post_type=product. Disclosure: Shogun X Amulets and ThaiAmuletExchange.com are run by the same group.