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Tuesday 27 March 2012

B180- Somdej Pratatpanom

SOMDEJ PRATATPANOM
 
LP TOH SOMDEJ PRATAT PATNOM (152 YEARS OLD) 
NAKHON PATNOM EDITION


       
LP TOH SOMDEJ PRATAT PATNOM (152 YEARS OLD) 
LIMITED EDITION WITH GOLD PLATE BEHIND                         
Somdej Toh was  one of the most  famous Buddhist  monks in modern  Thai history.  His  amulets  fetch prices  anywhere from a  few million Baht  to 30  Million  Baht. You may believe  that his amulets  are well beyond  the pocket of  the average  collector, this  is a popular  misconception  even amongst  experienced  collectors. He created and  blessed Phra  Somdej amulets  other than the  much publicized  and  promoted  Somdej amulets  originally  blessed c. BE  2400 One perfect  example is the  amulet below  known as Phra  Somdej Wat  Rakhang, Phra That Phanom (Song  Chedi), which he  created and  blessed in c.  2508.  Most of  the  amulets were  then stored in  the chedi at Nakom Panom,  close to the  Laos border It wasn't until  BE 2518  that  these amulets  were finally  recovered after  a violent  storm  and subsequent  flooding damaged  the chedi walls.
  
First impression of this amulet  is to dismiss it too easily,  unless you understand the history behind it. The most  interesting aspect of this  amulet is of course the  colourful beads, and one of the  reasons actually that even  experienced collectors have  often  failed to recognise the  importance of this pim.   The secret of  Phra That Phanom Somdej amulets Phrathat Phanom is an important chedi not only in Thailand but also  Asia  because the relics of Lord  Buddha are situated inside. The  wishes of many  worshippers have  been fulfilled after giving  homage at the chedi. As such any amulets contained within the Kru would be very scared  indeed, and in particular  amulets created by one of the  most sacred monks in the  world’s  history, Phra Buddhacharn Toh. This account details such a discovery of thousands of amulets  originally  created in BE 2408. Phra Buddacharn Toh is now known not only to have deposited a hoard  of  amulets in the Chedi but also  to have renovated the scared  chedi in BE  2408 , in order to  preserve the ancient structure  for future generations. The most interesting aspect of this is that very few people were  aware of  the deposit of amulets,  certainly even fewer were  witness to the amulets  because  they were buried very deeply in  what was then one the most important chedis in the Kingdom. Severe flooding caused the chedi walls to collapse, and on August  11 , B.E. 2518 , at 07.38 p.m. the  chedi was opened in order to  expose the cell that  retained  the hoard of amulets. These amulets were highly respected by worshippers because of the realization of the sacred power  that would be able to help them  in many  ways. A great crowd  gathered to worship the hoard in  its entirety. Once all this information is known,  your whole perspective changes  in an instance.  Simply holding  this unique amulet is an  experience in itself,  you  become inspired by the knowledge  that you are holding a genuine  amulet created by one of the  greatest Thai  monks ever, a  treasure that has no price with  a beauty that is without doubt, breathtaking.    
   
The Royal Thai Fine Arts Department came to inspect and repair the  chedi  and also to inform Phra  Thep Ruttanamoli (later Phra  Dharma Rachanuwat),  the then  abbot of the temple , also head  Monk of Nakon Panom Province, about the sacred amulets, and  that they could be sold. However  no price  could be agreed as he  knew the value of the amulets. Therefore Prathep Ruttanamoli decided to donate the sacred amulets  to  everyone who wished to own  such a asacred object, but in  particular to  those who  supported the renovation project  of the sacred chedi,  In addition to the amulets there were also many other sacred  objects  which were retained for  prosperity both inside the chedi  itself and the  temples museum.  Today these amulets are very  hard to find, some are  priced  more than 1 ,000 ,000  each,  particularly those which have  not be  cleaned in any way.     H istory  - Sacred Materials   After Somdej Phra Buddhacharn Toh announced his intention to create  the  amulets many senior foreign  monks from Cambodia, Laos,  Burma, etc,  immediately came to  the kingdom to pay respects to  Phra Buddacharn Toh, and also to  donate sacred materials. 1. Gold, which was received from Khmer and Burmese senior monks,  ground  into powder. Many of the  pims you can actually see gold  fragments  embedded in the  powder. 2.  Ancient Tavaravati-period pills, received from senior monks  originating  from Laos, some were  ground into a powder others  added to the mixture,  whole,  giving the amulets their very  distinctive appearance. 3.  Jewelry, which was received from Khmer and Burmese senior monks,  also  ground into powder. 4.  Sacred relics of Lord Buddha, received from some disciples of   Somdej  Phra Buddhacharn Toh and  Lao monks. 5. Wrecked parts of the old Prathat Phanom, renovated in B.E.2408 ,  also  ground into powder. 6. Other kinds of sacred powder such as Ittijae, Maharach, Buddhakun,  kept by Somdej Phra Buddhacharn  Toh  for many years were  also added into the  mixture.  Fragments of Phra Benjapakee etc Because King Rama IV wanted the renovation project to be completed within that year (B.E.2408)  many  monks from both Wat Rakhang and  Wat  Phratat Phanom were involved  in making these sacred amulets.
 
Interestingly this resulted in the amulets created that were  different in  design and  composition depending on where  they were made. Anyway the amulets, created at Wat Rakhang, were easily identified because Jaoprakun  Dharmatanacharn (Jaokun Nap), a  high-ranking monk of  Bangkok,  also attached a gold plate onto  the reverse of each amulet.     Great Sacred  Ceremony After the creation of all the  amulets one of the greatest  sacred  ceremonies in the Thai  history was organized: 1. To celebrate the newly  renovated sacred Phratat Panom  Chedi. 2. To invite all the sacred  amulets into the chedi itself. It was recorded that the sacred  ceremony was held on the  full-moon day of the 12 th month  of the year B.E.2408 , according  to the Thai lunar calendar. Apart from many senior monks  from both Thailand and other  neighboring  countries, one of  the most participants of the  ceremony was King Rama IV,  who  had graciously presided over the  ceremony amongst many witnesses, including royal-family members  and high-ranking officials etc. It was also recorded that Somdej  Phra Buddhacharn Toh had  affirmed that  all the amulets  were very sacred because apart  from the many sacred  materials,  particularly the relics of Lord  Buddha and the wrecked powder of the old Prathat Panom Chedi, he  had also prayed and recited  sacred spells  to transfer the  power of Lord Buddha ensuring  efficacy. These amulets are still quite  affordable, but the prices are  increasing  rapidly due to the  fact that other pims created by  Buddacharn Toh (those  which have  been heavily marketed and  promoted over the last few decades) have all but  disappeared from the market, or  are only available to  the  extremely wealthy. This amulet is the sensible  choice for the discerning  collector, and will  bring luck  and prosperity in life and  business.

B179- L.P Puen Wat Bang Phra

 

B178- Wat Pai Long L.P Poon

   

B176- Wat L.P Opasi

 

B175- Wat Padilai