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Elephant statue

The Elephant Statue, bronze monument, stands outside the High Street entrance of Parliament House, located in the Downtown Core of the Central Region. It was given by Thailand's King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to commemorate his 1871 visit, the first by a Thai monarch. The statue originally stood in front of Victoria Memorial Hall when it was erected on 25 June 1872. In 1919, when Sir Stamford Raffles' statue was put in its place for Singapore's Centenary Celebrations, the Elephant Statue was moved to the Court House (later the Assembly House, now Old Parliament House or Arts House). 

History
King Chulalongkorn or King Rama V (b. 20 Sep 1853 - d. 23 Oct 1910) otherwise known as Phra Piya Maharaj or the "the most beloved king", was the fifth sovereign of the royal dynasty which founded Bangkok and is credited for modernising Thailand. Chulalongkorn's visit to Singapore, marked the first time a Thai monarch had ever visited a foreign country. The King arrived on 15 March 1871, in his yacht the Regent with a convoy of two other ships and a total of sixty-six followers. They were greeted on arrival with a gun-salute by ships decked-up for the occasion. Early the next day, the King landed at Johnston's Pier, and was received with the highest honours by Colonel A. E. H. Anson (administering in the absence of Governor Sir Harry St. George Ord), all Government, Military and Naval officers, plus foreign dignitaries. The royal visitor stayed at Government House accompanied by his two brothers, his team of officials and a private secretary. One of the highlights of his visit was a stop at the Eastern Telegraph office, where he took the opportunity to transmit a cable to Queen Victoria.

Chulalongkorn's official state-visit was the start of close friendship-ties between Thailand and Singapore, which is still enjoy by both countries today. Chulalongkorn made a second visit to Singapore on 30 May 1890.

Description
To commemorate his Singapore visit, the "Elephant Statue" was given to the people of Singapore as a token of Chulalongkorn's gratitude for the hospitality he had received between 16 and 23 March 1871. The statue, erected on 25 June 1872, originally stood in front of the Victoria Memorial Hall but was moved to the front of the Court House (later the Assembly House, and today's Old Parliament House a.k.a. the Arts House) in 1919, when the Raffles Statue was put in its place for Singapore's Centenary celebrations.

The Elephant Statue was cast in bronze in Bangkok and is mounted on a high pedestal. The pedestal bears inscriptions in Siamese, Jawi, Chinese, and English and it reads: "His Majesty Somdetch Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn, the Supreme King of Siam, landed at Singapore, the first foreign land visited by a Siamese Monarch, on the 16th March, 1871" The statue still stands in front of the Old Parliament House (the Arts House).



Author
Vernon Cornelius-Takahama



References 
Ramachandra, S. (1961). Singapore landmarks, past and present (pp. 6-22). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 RAM)

Samuel, D. S. (1991). Singapore's heritage: through places of historical interest (p. 109). Singapore: Elixir Consultancy Service.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 SAM) 





Subject
Arts>>Visual Arts>>Sculpture
Events>>Historical Periods>>Founding of Modern Singapore (1819-1941)
Animal sculpture--Singapore
Statues--Singapore
Singapore--Foreign relations-- Thailand
Singapore--History--1867-1942
Arts>>Sculpture
History>>Asia>>Southeast Asia>>Singapore

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