- Jatukham Rammathep
Jatukham Rammathep is the name of an unusually popular
amulet sold by some Buddhist temples inThailand . The amulet is named for two princes of theSrivijaya kingdom of southern Thailand, and is believed to provide protection and good fortune to the bearer. Some legends hold that the name actually belongs to an incarnation of the BodhisattvaAvalokitesvara , whose worship was known in the south due to the presence ofMahayana Buddhism there during earlier eras. [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/17/national/national_30032023.php Who is Jatukham Rammathep?] ]The original Jatukham Rammathep amulets were created in 1987 by a Thai policeman named
Khun Phantharak Rajjadej who believed that the spirit of Jatukham Rammathep had assisted him in solving a difficult murder case.During 2006, following on the death of Khun Phantharak Rajjadej, Jatukham Rammathep amulets began to grow wildly in popularity among Thais who believed in their ability to grant good fortune and solve personal problems. The amulets were initially distributed by a temple in the town of
Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand. As the demand for these amulets grew, they began to also be produced at other temples in Thailand. [http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=52,4317,0,0,1,0 "Revered Thai monk flogs sarcastic fortune cookies"] ]In April 2007, a woman died after being trampled in a rush to acquire reservations for a batch of Jatukham Rammathep amulets being produced at the Mahathat Woromaha Vihan temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Later that month, in the face of a crime wave of daily amulet robberies, Thailand's
Supreme Patriarch stopped providing materials from the temple, such as ash from incense, used to make the amulets. [2007 -04-23 . [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/23/national/national_30032451.php "Patriarch ends role in amulets."] "The Nation", Bangkok, Thailand, via nationmultimedia.com. Retrieved on2007 -09-03 .]Trucks with loudspeakers blare promotions for different series of amulets all day in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and colorful posters cover many walls. [Head, Jonathan.
2007 -09-03 . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6976705.stm "Thailand's frenzy for amulets."] BBC News, via news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on2007 -09-03 .]It is estimated that sales of the Jatukham Rammathep amulet in Thailand will amount to over 20 billion
baht during 2007.References
External links
* [http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.php?IDNEWS=0000002729 The Jatukham Rammathep Amulet Obsession] - includes an image of a Jatukham Rammathep amulet
* [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/17/national/national_30032023.php Patriarch ends role in amulets]
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