Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol
The Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol, also called the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Umbrella (Lao: ອິສະຣິຍາພອນລ້ານຊ້າງຮົ່ມຂາວ Itsariyaphon Lan Sang Hom Khao), was the highest knighthood order of the Kingdom of Laos.
Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol ອິສະຣິຍາພອນລ້ານຊ້າງຮົ່ມຂາວ | |
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Awarded by the King of Laos | |
Status | Extinct as the Kingdom, now Dynastic award |
Sovereign | Sisavang Vong Savang Vatthana |
Grades | Grand Cross with Collar Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | None; highest. |
Next (lower) | Order of the Crown |
![]() Ribbon of the Order |
History
The Order was founded on 1 May 1909 by King Sisavang Vong.[1]
The name of the order reflected an old name of Laos, Lan Xang Hom Khao which means "million elephants and white umbrella".[2]
The Royal system of Orders and Medals effectively ended with the fall of Laos in 1975. The Royal Orders, by their nature, remain the dynastic property of the Royal House of Laos in absentia, and are still awarded by the Royal House as a dynastic award.
Classes
The Order consisted of the following classes, in ascending order :
- Grand Cross with Collar
- Grand Cross (ປະຖະມາພອນ Pathamaphon)
- Grand Officer (ທຸຕິຍາພອນ Thutiyaphon)
- Commander (ຕະຕິຍາພອນ Tatiyaphon)
- Officer (ຈະຕູດຖາພອນ Jatutthaphon)
- Knight (ປັນຈະມາພອນ Panchamaphon)
Ribbon bars | ||||
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Insignia
The ribbon on which the Order was worn is red, ornamented with a yellow geometrical design.
Notable recipients
- Crown of Nepal
- Crown of Thailand
- Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand (1963)
- Sirikit, Queen consort of Thailand (1963)
- Sarit Thanarat, Prime Minister of Thailand
- Thanom Kittikachorn, Prime Minister of Thailand
- Crown of Cambodia
- Sisowath Monivong, King of Cambodia (1927-1941)
- Norodom Suramarit, King of Cambodia (1955-1960) (1955)
- Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia (1941-1955) / (1993-2004)
- Crown of Vietnam
- French Republic
- Charles de Gaulle
- Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
- Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
- Adrien Conus
- René Joyeuse
- René Gaurand
- Others
- James Greenway
- BG. Dean Murphy USV-JSC
Notes
- The Illustrated London News, vol. 138 (1911), part 1, p. 138
- Bijan Raj Chatterjee, Southeast Asia in Transition (1965), p. 18