Ecclesiastical peerage of Thailand

The custom of giving peerages to Buddhist priests originated in Sri Lanka[1][2] and is believed to have been practiced in Thailand since the time of the Sukhothai Kingdom, during which the Sri Lanka's sect of Buddhism known as Laṅkāvaṃśa (Thai: ลังกาวงศ์) was prevalent in the region and it appears that Srī Śraddhā (Thai: ศรีศรัทธา; RTGS: Si Sattha), a nephew of King Pha Mueang, a local leader at that time, even travelled to the isle of Sri Lanka where he was ordained as a priest and was given a peerage.

[1] During the reign of King Mahathammaracha II of Sukhothai, the Buddhist community of Sukhothai was divided into two sects: araṇyavāsī (Thai: อรัญวาสี; RTGS: aranyawasi; literally "forest dwellers") and gāmavāsī (Thai: คามวาสี; RTGS: khammawasi; literally "village dwellers").

[1] It is also believed that senior monks had been appointed by the monarch of Ayuthaya as supreme patriarchs in charge of the entire monastic community.

[1] In the subsequent kingdoms of Thon Buri and Rattanakosin, the same custom was practiced until the enactment of the Sangha Administration Statute 1902 (Thai: พระราชบัญญัติลักษณปกครองคณะสงฆ์ รัตนโกสินทรศก ๑๒๑) by King Rama V, which established a Sangha Supreme Council to nominate monks to the monarch to be appointed to peerages.

๒๕๐๕),[1] except the appointment of the supreme patriarch which has been amended in January 2017 to solely be at the monarch's pleasure in line with the previous tradition.

Ecclesiastical peers holding their letters of appointment and fans of rank.
Letters of appointment and a fan of rank for ecclesiastical peers.
A monk parades his letter of appointment and fan of rank throughout the town of Uttaradit .