Nakhon Si Thammarat rides economic crest as many rush to buy lucky charm The fatal crushing of a woman in a stampede has had no affect on the insatiable appetite for Jatukham Rammathep amulets, with the temple making and selling them fully booked until the end of the year for incantations.
We can't stop the production and incantations of the Jatukham Rammathep and must admit that the phenomenon has turned the province into an economic boom town," said Sonthaya Senniam, director of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Buddhism Office.Huge numbers of tourists are flocking to the province to worship Jatukham Rammathep statues located in Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawiharn or Wat Phra Nakhon, while amulet creators from across the country have come to use the temple as a place to recite incantations over the amulets.
Local hotels are fully booked each weekend.The first batch of Jatukham Rammathep amulets was introduced with little fanfare in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat 20 years ago.There are now more than 400 different models in the market.The first model, made in 1987, cost less than Bt100. It is now worth between Bt500,000 and Bt600,000.The talisman started becoming a popular item in the middle of last year and is now almost an obsession.More than 200 editions of Jatukham Rammathep amulets are now being made throughout the Kingdom.Creations of "genuine" talismans require permission from Wat Phra Nakhon, and the incantations must be performed at the temple or at Nakhon Si Thammarat's city-pillar shrine.
"The temple has been fully reserved until December by more than 250 creators," said Sonthaya. "Instead of stopping the production of the amulets, we'd rather find stricter safety measures in the public distribution process," he said.The local committee overseeing the Jatukham Rammathep trend includes local administrators, police, temples and the amulet creators. They are now working on finding ways to prevent the chaos that occurred on April 9, when a 51-year-old local woman was crushed to death and dozens of people were injured as thousands forced their way into a technical school in the province to buy reserving coupons for the amulets made at Wat Phra Nakhon.Yesterday, the temple distributed the coupons for the Jatukham Rammathep special edition called Ngern Lai Ma II at three spots in the city: Nakhon Si Thammarat Technical College, Rama IX Park and Thanakhonyanwaropasuthit School.The special edition consists of 30,000 sets, each including 13 talismans and costing Bt500. It could hardly cover the demand from hundreds of thousands of people.The temple made the original Jatukham Rammathep amulets, among them the very popular Ngern Lai Ma edition distributed early this year.
A Jatukham Rammathep "guru" said the amulets were pumping Bt100 million into Nakhon Si Thammarat each week. All flights to the province have been booked out, and passengers must fly to Krabi instead, then take a bus to Nakhon Si Thammarat.Maj-General Sudjai Yanarat, the provincial police commander, said the phenomenon had changed police priorities, because they now had to deal with the massive influx of tourists and Jatukham Rammathep followers from across the country.Traffic police have been under a lot of pressure, due to huge traffic jams.Wat Phra Nakhon abbot Phra Maha Maitri said the Religious Affairs Department had ordered the postponement of the amulets' production, but it was impossible to stop, because of the huge amount of money to be made in the province.The talismans, he added, were sold by the temple at moderate rates, but the price shot up tenfold when resold.However, the distribution of the special edition has been halted until the temple can come up with a safer way to distribute them, Phra Maha Maitri said.
Nonetheless, hundreds of people are still waiting in front of the temple gates, hoping the distribution will start again.The Jatukham Rammathep amulets have gained a huge and almost frenzied following based on claims of their magical powers and the good fortune they can bring to their owners.Although it has no relation to Buddhism, many Thai Buddhists believe in the amulets' power and are prepared to pay large sums for one."The faith [in the amulets] is creating huge benefits for the businessmen now dominating 80 per cent of production. There are several 'organisers' set up to produce the amulets for investors," said a Jatukham Rammathep co-ordinator at a local temple.Another Jatukham Rammathep "guru", Pong Phrakrueng, said the amulets sold in the market cost Bt100 to Bt5 million - and up.He predicted the phenomenon would continue for another couple of years. When more editions are produced, the trend will "moderate", with only the original editions still in demand
Chatrarat Kaewmorakot
Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong
The Nation
article source http://www.nationmultimedia.com
09 July 2007
08 July 2007
Going, Going, Gong—Thai Amulet Fever
Thais are fond of amulets, of course, but the latest to hang from Thai necks exceed most others in value and size. The new amulet, Jatukam Ramathep, is the object of a nationwide craze, with each new issue fetching ever higher prices.
The intrinsic value of the Olympic medal-sized amulets isn’t great, and as a work of art they’re mundane, depicting a man in traditional regalia sitting in a meditative pose, left hand on his knee, and right hand held shoulder-high, palm outward. Yet when a fresh set of amulets went on sale in April, buyers stampeded, trampling one woman to death. Thieves raid homes, shops and temples in search of them.
So what’s the reason for the hysteria? The usual explanation is advanced—the amulets are supposed to possess magical powers. They first appeared in the southern Thai town of Nakhon Si Thammarat, where the provincial police chief, Maj Gen Phantarak Rajadej, was said to be able to exercise these powers. He died last September at the age of 103, and a holy site he had been involved in constructing, the City Pillar, became the center of the Jatukam trade.
Some people swear their medallion has saved them from death or serious injury. Others are thought to buy the medallion as a good luck talisman in the present times of political and economic uncertainty. Skeptics say the fever is symptomatic of the “confused state of Thai Buddhism,” according to the English language newspaper, The Nation. Some accuse monks of making large sums of money from the sale of the amulets, which fetch up to 100,000 baht (US $2,800).
“There’s a tremendous amount of money floating around in the amulet market,” according to Sanit Rangnoi, director general of the Thai Revenue Department. It’s estimated that the total value of known sales so far is at least 20 billion baht ($560 million).
article source http://www.irrawaddy.org
05 July 2007
The Jatukam Ramathep amulet phenomenon is symptomatic of the confused state of Thai Buddhism
The runaway popularity of Jatukam Ramathep amulets cannot be attributed only to intense publicity in the mass media in recent years. The widespread worship of the talismans by people who call themselves Buddhists is symptomatic of a confused state of affairs regarding Buddhism as we know it in this country. The first batch of Jatukam amulets was introduced with little fanfare in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat 20 years ago. Now, the amulets bearing the image of this once-obscure deity have become very popular and their prices are skyrocketing. Jatukam amulets may already have surpassed other amulets bearing the images of the Buddha and venerable monks in popularity among the collecting community.
Jatukam amulets are gaining a huge following based on claims of magical powers and the good fortune they can bring to their owners. Indeed, the creator of the original Jatukam amulets was a highly respected and honest police officer in Nakhon Si Thammarat who was reputed to possess knowledge of the occult. After some editions of the Jatukam amulets gained currency, people in the amulet trade, who traditionally manufactured amulets bearing the Buddha's image, jumped in to capitalise on the newly lucrative business. Since then, Jatukam amulets - and tales of their magical powers - have been promoted in a big way by shrewd manufacturers. Hundreds of Buddhist temples throughout the country are now ordering Jatukam amulets to sell as part of their fund-raising campaigns.
It is worth noting that the Jatukam phenomenon is no different from the long-established commercialisation of Buddhism through the sale of Buddha amulets. Usually the issue of "special editions" of Buddha amulets is initiated by lay administrators from temples with the blessing of abbots or senior monks. The amulets, which usually undergo some sort of consecration ceremony, are then sold to collectors and profits are shared between the lay administrators of temples and the monks. The rationale cited by the Buddhist monastic authority for tolerating, if not condoning, such commercial practice is that Buddhists from different backgrounds worship in different ways. Some take an intellectual approach to Buddhism by studying the Buddha's teachings and applying that knowledge in their personal life, while others still cannot get over their attachment to animistic practices, including amulet worshipping and black magic.
Just like traders in more common Buddha amulets, traders of Jatukam amulets know how to manipulate their customers. People began to speculate on Jatukam amulets, sending the prices of some editions soaring, and some amulets that originally sold for a few thousand baht have appreciated in price 100-fold. But it remains to be seen if the Jatukam phenomenon is going to last.
The Nakhon Si Thammarat provincial authorities have called a meeting of amulet manufacturers, Buddhist temples and people in the trade to try to clean up the image of the Jatukam amulets. Lately there have been many complaints about "fake" or "substandard" amulets found to have been circulated in the market. The authorities insist that distribution of the amulets should be treated as just another medium through which to get to know dhamma and the Buddha's teachings. In other words, everyone to his own taste.
But there is a fine line between amulet-making in order to help people find the true meaning of Buddhism, and the systematic commercial exploitation of Buddhism. Temples often claim that they give out amulets as tokens of appreciation to people who make merit by donating money. Merit-making through donations to temples is widely practised by Thai Buddhists, but not many people attach as much importance to the study of the Buddha's teachings.
The Religious Affairs Department and the National Buddhism Office have no intention of intervening, saying amulet collecting is something that many people rely on for peace of mind, and Buddhists who collect amulets should be allowed to pursue their beliefs and preferences, within reason. This advice makes sense. Many Thais feel insecure, given the ongoing political turmoil, economic uncertainty and social instability. The more insecure people become, the more they seek out objects reputed to have supernatural powers that will bring them good fortune. If nothing else, the phenomenon offers food for thought on the relevance of Buddhism in this society, or the lack thereof.
by The Nation www.nationgroup.com
Jatukam amulets are gaining a huge following based on claims of magical powers and the good fortune they can bring to their owners. Indeed, the creator of the original Jatukam amulets was a highly respected and honest police officer in Nakhon Si Thammarat who was reputed to possess knowledge of the occult. After some editions of the Jatukam amulets gained currency, people in the amulet trade, who traditionally manufactured amulets bearing the Buddha's image, jumped in to capitalise on the newly lucrative business. Since then, Jatukam amulets - and tales of their magical powers - have been promoted in a big way by shrewd manufacturers. Hundreds of Buddhist temples throughout the country are now ordering Jatukam amulets to sell as part of their fund-raising campaigns.
It is worth noting that the Jatukam phenomenon is no different from the long-established commercialisation of Buddhism through the sale of Buddha amulets. Usually the issue of "special editions" of Buddha amulets is initiated by lay administrators from temples with the blessing of abbots or senior monks. The amulets, which usually undergo some sort of consecration ceremony, are then sold to collectors and profits are shared between the lay administrators of temples and the monks. The rationale cited by the Buddhist monastic authority for tolerating, if not condoning, such commercial practice is that Buddhists from different backgrounds worship in different ways. Some take an intellectual approach to Buddhism by studying the Buddha's teachings and applying that knowledge in their personal life, while others still cannot get over their attachment to animistic practices, including amulet worshipping and black magic.
Just like traders in more common Buddha amulets, traders of Jatukam amulets know how to manipulate their customers. People began to speculate on Jatukam amulets, sending the prices of some editions soaring, and some amulets that originally sold for a few thousand baht have appreciated in price 100-fold. But it remains to be seen if the Jatukam phenomenon is going to last.
The Nakhon Si Thammarat provincial authorities have called a meeting of amulet manufacturers, Buddhist temples and people in the trade to try to clean up the image of the Jatukam amulets. Lately there have been many complaints about "fake" or "substandard" amulets found to have been circulated in the market. The authorities insist that distribution of the amulets should be treated as just another medium through which to get to know dhamma and the Buddha's teachings. In other words, everyone to his own taste.
But there is a fine line between amulet-making in order to help people find the true meaning of Buddhism, and the systematic commercial exploitation of Buddhism. Temples often claim that they give out amulets as tokens of appreciation to people who make merit by donating money. Merit-making through donations to temples is widely practised by Thai Buddhists, but not many people attach as much importance to the study of the Buddha's teachings.
The Religious Affairs Department and the National Buddhism Office have no intention of intervening, saying amulet collecting is something that many people rely on for peace of mind, and Buddhists who collect amulets should be allowed to pursue their beliefs and preferences, within reason. This advice makes sense. Many Thais feel insecure, given the ongoing political turmoil, economic uncertainty and social instability. The more insecure people become, the more they seek out objects reputed to have supernatural powers that will bring them good fortune. If nothing else, the phenomenon offers food for thought on the relevance of Buddhism in this society, or the lack thereof.
by The Nation www.nationgroup.com
02 July 2007
Jatukam!
Nakhon Si Thammarat lies at roughly the same latitude as Phuket, except that it is on the Gulf of Thailand side of the Malay Peninsula, instead of the Andaman Sea. It is an ancient city, tracing its present incarnation back to the 13th Century. One can easily discern the outlines of the old city in the current layout of streets and in the remnants of the city wall.Lately, this city has become a tourist destination, possibly the biggest tourist destination in Thailand. Four flights a day from Bangkok disgorge visitors. They stream off buses and trains. The city estimates that 1.6 million people visited in 2006, straining the city’s modest accommodations.None of the visitors are foreign tourists, of course, no sun-seeking Europeans, no back- packers no beachcombers. During the weekend I spent there, I encountered only one other farang, a Dane who was attending his brother-in-law’s wedding, and he seemed happy enough to get back to Chiang Mai.The visitors, more accurately pilgrims, are all Thai. They don’t come because of the city’s rich history, the Makhalon archeological site to the north or the Phrom Lok Waterfall or any of the other attractions touted by the Tourism Association of Thailand, Southern Region. No, they come for just one reason:
Jatukam!
All of Thailand is in the grip of Jatukam fever, but nowhere else is it so all-consuming as in this southern Thai city, where it all began. Here it seems like every other citizen is wearing one of the amulets.They are easy to spot, since they look like Olympic bronze medals suspended by a chain around the neck. Sometimes more than one. (Thai joke: A man goes to the doctor complaining of neck and shoulder pain. The doctor points to the five Jatukam medallions strung around his neck and suggests he lighten the load.)It is impossible to ignore the phenomenon here. Bill boards plastered on the side of buildings display the latest models. Sound trucks that in any other Thai city might be advertising boxing matches or the candidates in local elections, blast information on new medals.Along Ratchadamoen Road, the town’s main street, whole shops are given over to display cases stocked with the medallions in their little plastic cases, generally priced from 2,000 to 5,000 baht. Even stores that sell ordinary household items still have a few cases displaying the latest amulets.The Jatukam craze has become a huge bonanza for Nakhon Si Thammarat and the Buddhist temples that give the medals their blessing. Of the city’s 560 temples, 200 produce the amulets, and more are planning to do so. The sales and visitors have brought in more than 10 billion baht.Jatukam fever is bringing in so much money that the Thai Revenue Department is considering whether to tax them, helping to offset loss of tax revenue from the general downturn in the economy. “There’s a tremendous amount of money floating around in the amulet market,” said department director general Sanit Rangnoi.
What is Jatukam?It is actually two people, Jatukam Rammathep, and their origin is obscure and difficult to understand for someone not steeped in Hindu-Buddhist mythology. By some accounts, they were princes in the Srivijay Kingdom of which Nahkon Si Thammarat was the center.Another theory is that the names are a corruption of Khuttugama and Ramadeva two Hindu guardians, that can be seen alongside the stairway leading into the inner sanctum of the Great Stupa of the Wat Pra Mahathat, which is said to be the most important and historic Buddhist temple in southern Thailand.The first Jatukam amulets were stuck and sold in 1987 (they now fetch prices in excess of a million baht). But only a few of the amulets were sold for many years. The craze only took off last year.Most Jatukam enthusiasts associate the amulets with a much more contemporary figure, Police Major General Phantarak Rajadej, the provincial police chief who died only last September at age 103. He was said to have magical powers and instrumental in building the holy site called the City Pillar, now a center of the trade.
His cremation ceremony here in February drew tens of thousands of people, some hoping to obtain one of the talismans distributed to mourners. His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn presided.On a rainy Saturday in late April I found my way to the City Pillar to observe the consecration of a new Jatukam amulet. The pillar is a golden stele, with a four faces of Buddha at the top enclosed in an alabaster white structure.In the late morning the courtyard was already crowed with people. A huge offering table displayed a feast of symbolic offerings: heaps of grapes, bananas, crabs, durians, even two hogs heads. A loudspeaker blared out constant announcements or prayers. Every now and then one heard the crackling of fire works.At 1:30 p.m. ten saffron-clad monks took their seats on a long bench on one side of the pillar and began a steady, droning prayer chant that lasted for 40 minutes as people paid their respects by listening respectfully, their hands folded in prayer.On the far side of the pillar complex several men were kneading clay that would be pressed into amulets. The chanting came to a close, and a senior monk took his place on front of a press, having the privilege of striking off the first amulet.
Then he stood up cupping the newly minted medallion in the palm of his hand for all to see. People crowded around to look and take pictures as if it were some kind of an exotic and fabulously expensive rare jewel. Another little Buddha was born.There plenty of theories to explain the enormous popularity of the Jatukam amulets in Thailand at this time in its history. And there are plenty of people happy to testify about motorbike accidents survived, of diseases cured by the miraculous power of the amulet.Some argue that the phenomenon is symptomatic of the “confused state of Thai Buddhism” – to quote The Nation newspaper - where temples and monks are willing to debase their calling for the enormous profits that can had from amulet sales, sales that dwarf the traditional temple trinkets by a huge margin.Some argue that Thais are feeling insecure given the country’s political turmoil and the aging of their beloved King and thus put their faith in objects they think can bring them good fortune.One should not discount their sheer collectability. New amulets are issued almost every day. Glossy, four-color catalogues display the latest models complete with the numbers of each edition and their prices.And there is also the simple excitement of one young woman at the City Pillar as she struggled to convey in her limited English to this unenlightened farang why she was so happy to be present at the consecration of a new Jatukam amulet. “It gives you everything.”
article source http://www.inblogs.net
by Todd Crowell
Jatukam!
All of Thailand is in the grip of Jatukam fever, but nowhere else is it so all-consuming as in this southern Thai city, where it all began. Here it seems like every other citizen is wearing one of the amulets.They are easy to spot, since they look like Olympic bronze medals suspended by a chain around the neck. Sometimes more than one. (Thai joke: A man goes to the doctor complaining of neck and shoulder pain. The doctor points to the five Jatukam medallions strung around his neck and suggests he lighten the load.)It is impossible to ignore the phenomenon here. Bill boards plastered on the side of buildings display the latest models. Sound trucks that in any other Thai city might be advertising boxing matches or the candidates in local elections, blast information on new medals.Along Ratchadamoen Road, the town’s main street, whole shops are given over to display cases stocked with the medallions in their little plastic cases, generally priced from 2,000 to 5,000 baht. Even stores that sell ordinary household items still have a few cases displaying the latest amulets.The Jatukam craze has become a huge bonanza for Nakhon Si Thammarat and the Buddhist temples that give the medals their blessing. Of the city’s 560 temples, 200 produce the amulets, and more are planning to do so. The sales and visitors have brought in more than 10 billion baht.Jatukam fever is bringing in so much money that the Thai Revenue Department is considering whether to tax them, helping to offset loss of tax revenue from the general downturn in the economy. “There’s a tremendous amount of money floating around in the amulet market,” said department director general Sanit Rangnoi.
What is Jatukam?It is actually two people, Jatukam Rammathep, and their origin is obscure and difficult to understand for someone not steeped in Hindu-Buddhist mythology. By some accounts, they were princes in the Srivijay Kingdom of which Nahkon Si Thammarat was the center.Another theory is that the names are a corruption of Khuttugama and Ramadeva two Hindu guardians, that can be seen alongside the stairway leading into the inner sanctum of the Great Stupa of the Wat Pra Mahathat, which is said to be the most important and historic Buddhist temple in southern Thailand.The first Jatukam amulets were stuck and sold in 1987 (they now fetch prices in excess of a million baht). But only a few of the amulets were sold for many years. The craze only took off last year.Most Jatukam enthusiasts associate the amulets with a much more contemporary figure, Police Major General Phantarak Rajadej, the provincial police chief who died only last September at age 103. He was said to have magical powers and instrumental in building the holy site called the City Pillar, now a center of the trade.
His cremation ceremony here in February drew tens of thousands of people, some hoping to obtain one of the talismans distributed to mourners. His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn presided.On a rainy Saturday in late April I found my way to the City Pillar to observe the consecration of a new Jatukam amulet. The pillar is a golden stele, with a four faces of Buddha at the top enclosed in an alabaster white structure.In the late morning the courtyard was already crowed with people. A huge offering table displayed a feast of symbolic offerings: heaps of grapes, bananas, crabs, durians, even two hogs heads. A loudspeaker blared out constant announcements or prayers. Every now and then one heard the crackling of fire works.At 1:30 p.m. ten saffron-clad monks took their seats on a long bench on one side of the pillar and began a steady, droning prayer chant that lasted for 40 minutes as people paid their respects by listening respectfully, their hands folded in prayer.On the far side of the pillar complex several men were kneading clay that would be pressed into amulets. The chanting came to a close, and a senior monk took his place on front of a press, having the privilege of striking off the first amulet.
Then he stood up cupping the newly minted medallion in the palm of his hand for all to see. People crowded around to look and take pictures as if it were some kind of an exotic and fabulously expensive rare jewel. Another little Buddha was born.There plenty of theories to explain the enormous popularity of the Jatukam amulets in Thailand at this time in its history. And there are plenty of people happy to testify about motorbike accidents survived, of diseases cured by the miraculous power of the amulet.Some argue that the phenomenon is symptomatic of the “confused state of Thai Buddhism” – to quote The Nation newspaper - where temples and monks are willing to debase their calling for the enormous profits that can had from amulet sales, sales that dwarf the traditional temple trinkets by a huge margin.Some argue that Thais are feeling insecure given the country’s political turmoil and the aging of their beloved King and thus put their faith in objects they think can bring them good fortune.One should not discount their sheer collectability. New amulets are issued almost every day. Glossy, four-color catalogues display the latest models complete with the numbers of each edition and their prices.And there is also the simple excitement of one young woman at the City Pillar as she struggled to convey in her limited English to this unenlightened farang why she was so happy to be present at the consecration of a new Jatukam amulet. “It gives you everything.”
article source http://www.inblogs.net
by Todd Crowell
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