Somdej Wat Rakang

Wat RakangKositaram, Bangkok Noi District, Thonburi

Somdej Wat Rakang is a principal amulet in the set of Benjapakee. The creator was Somdej Phra Buddhachan (Toh PromRungSee). It is is well-known for universal blessing power, not only in Thailand but also over the world and also the highest value of all Buddha image amulets. Tan ChaoPraKhun Somdej Buddhachan (Toh PromRungSee) was born in Ayutthaya during the era of King Rama I. His tenure in the monastery had begun in the reign of King Rama I and lasted until the reign of King Rama V. In King Rama V reign, Somdej Toh was a few persons who had known King Rama I as he was ordained as a Buddhist monk in the ordination ceremony hosted by King Rama I in Phrasrirattana Sasadaram Temple (Royal Temple). Somdej Buddhachan (Toh PromRungSee) was a disciple of the 4th Supreme Patriarch of Rattanakosin era (Suk), the creator of Somdej Orahang, which was believed the prototype of powder amulet. In 1864, during King Rama IV reign, Somdej Toh was given a ceremonial title “Tan ChaoPraKhun Somdej Buddhachan”. In 1866, Somdej Phra Buddhachan (Toh PromRungSee) began to create the amulet, “Somdej Wat Rakang”. For the reasons of creating Somdej Wat Rakang, it is believed that when Somdej Toh visited his relatives in KampaengPhet, a well-known province for amulet creation. He saw a small ancient Buddha Image (amulet) at Sadet Temple which was deserted temple. Then he brought some amulets back to Bangkok and began to create the amulets to inherit the Buddhism as the traditional practice. Somdej Wat Rakang amulet was made from • Lime shell as a main composition • 5 Sacred power (Pattamung, Itthijae, Trinisinghae, Maharaj and Bhuddakhun). Started by writting down the holy sutras and yantra on board and erased. The dust gathered, was molded into a chalk and used to write down another holy sutras and yantra. The process of writing down, erasing and molding, was repeated many times. Therefore, the dust gathered, had strong blessing power. • Other composition: burned palm leaf, dried flower, pieces of outer rope and Tangewi Oil to bond the substance. For the process of creating Somdej Wat Rakang • Grind lime shell and other ingredient for Somdej Wat Rakang materials. • Form into a square and cut into pieces. • Press each pieces on mould, which was sculptured from slate. • Cut the edge into rectangular by using bamboo-strips Somdej Wat Rakang’s Mould was the first abstract art for amulet. It represented the line pattern, rather than a model of Buddha Image. Somdej Wat Rakang has 5 moulds as follow – Pim Yai or Pim Pratan (Big Mould) – Pim Thansaem – Pim Chedi – Pim Prok Poh – Pim Kes Buatoom