Jatukam and other amulets

Jatukam are a relatively new amulet to Thailand. They are, first and foremost protection amulets, secondly they are wealth amulets. They were first created in 1987 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a province in the south. Jatukam's were originally introduced to raise money for a Chedi and the smaller buildings which surround it in Jokjakarta, Indonesia. (Nakhon was the spiritual centre of an ancient realm of 9,000km2 that included India and Indonesia). The Jatukam include at least two of three depictions, one is the monkey type figures (Rao Hu), second is the Ramathep figure, and third is the monkey with face covered by his hands (less popular). The Jatukam pictured is a Chedi Rai (pronounced Jay-dee-rai). It is instantly recognisable, even to people with very limited knowledge of JTK. It was designed in Thai year 2530 (1987). For more complete information, check my Nakhorn Si Thammarat page travelogue. *** I have just returned to Phuket after being away for 3 months. You would not believe the change! When I bought my first Jatukam piece in January for 20,000 baht, only a few Thai people were wearing them. Now, my main Jatukam piece is worth about 100,000 baht (in May) and I've heard that it could be worth up to 200,000 baht. There are Jatukam shops everywhere, probably 10 at each main shopping centre, but be warned, as much as they will try to convince you that the pieces are real, I can almost guarantee you that they're a copy. There have been newspaper reports recently where Jatukam figures have shown up in photos, even digital pictures and ones that were taken by farangs (westerners). This has added to the hysteria and popularity of the Jatukam. The Jatukam in the picture, as worn by my friend, is my main piece. I have a blue one, because I was born on a Friday. Every day of the week is represented by a different colour.
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