The Craze of Thai Buddha Amulets

A Buddha amulet is called plah keang in its local terminology. It's said that when on a certain time, there clearly was a renowned monk in Thailand, who had been invited by the king to attend the disaster area each time a deadly drought afflicted the country.

Unable to bring the huge Buddha figurine in his property, he imagined the Buddha figurine telling him he will make a small type of it with the clay in the temple and bring that instead. He/she did what this individual was told, and the drought eased. When the monk gave this amulet to the king, the king asked him to make more and distribute them among the local people.

Shaping belief

Like Religious crosses and Buddha amulets, the Thai Buddha amulets could be manufactured from metal or valuable stones. Yet a good number of them today are of clay and incense lung burning ash. They are from here molded to make a Buddha statue (some usually are not) and place in a box. From time to time, pollen, herbs, steel bars (with Scripture carved on), the eyebrow hair from the holy monk and a fall of his blood may also be contained in the statue. It isn't done and ready to sell out until it has been blessed by a well-known monk.

Thai Buddha amulets could be changed to diverse shapes, such as for example round, sq and triangular. Nevertheless, what decides the amulet's major purpose is the Buddha or creature shown on there.

Buddhism is polytheistic religion and you will find multiple gods and goddesses. For instance, a Buddha called bida (one with his hands on the face) helps to get a vehicle from bad luck. A colorful butterfly is a benefit for a lady to attract a guy.

In the old days, Buddha amulets throughout Thailand were purely hand-made, but right now, due to the demand, many procedures, like carving a model, usually are mechanized.

Although almost everyone can make an amulet, it's believed in Thailand that only those made by renowned monks have power, and every single Buddhist maker has their own field. Luang Phor Koon, a famous monk in Wat Ban Rai, a shrine in the Nakhon Ratchasima State in Thailand, is well-known for making bida Buddha.

Purchaser beware

The popularity of Thai Buddhist amulets in mainland market also brings online business offerings to copycats. But different from Thailand, which has professional certification firms, customers can only depend on the trustworthiness on the vendors.

The amulets are available all over. Just walking outside you'll see someone with a dining table put up and men squinting by their magnifying eyeglasses, examining the amulets and seeing if they are real.