Thai amulet history begins with the votive tablet, or phra phim (พระพิมพ์): a small Buddha image pressed from clay in a mould [1]. From the Dvaravati period onwards such tablets turn up in Thailand [1]. They were made as acts of merit [3], and many were deposited in stupas [1]. The word for an amulet worn on the body, phra khruang (พระเครื่อง, 佛牌 [28]), is first recorded in the reign of King Rama IV [2]. Wearing, collecting and trading amulets came later [1], [22].
Key facts
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Earliest form | Phra phim: small Buddha images made by pressing clay into a mould | [1] |
| Indian origins | Thought to have begun around the 5th–6th Buddhist-era centuries | [1] |
| Dvaravati-period tablet with Pali text | Clay tablet from Khok Mai Den, Nakhon Sawan, engraved with a Pali homage, dated 7th–8th century CE | [3] |
| Term "phra khruang" | First appears in the Rattanakosin period, reign of King Rama IV | [2] |
| Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang | Square tablets dated by one Thairath writer to 2409–2415 BE (1866–1872 CE) | [12] |
| Wat Ratchaburana crypt, Ayutthaya | Looted 1957; official excavation found over 100,000 votive tablets | [7], [8] |
| Benjapakee (เบญจภาคี) | Five-amulet collector set, assembled from about 2490 BE (1947 CE) | [2] |
What were the first Thai amulets? Votive tablets explained
Thai Wikipedia defines phra phim as small Buddha images made by pressing clay with a mould [1]. It suggests that tablets in India grew out of the four Buddhist pilgrimage sites and at first served as a memento of a pilgrimage [1]. It places the start of tablet-making in India around the 5th–6th Buddhist-era centuries, after Buddha images and stupas [1].
The purpose of these early tablets was religious, not personal. The Thai Wikipedia entry on phra khruang says that tablets of the Dvaravati period were made, as in India, to help perpetuate the Dhamma [2]. In a 2014 chapter for the Siam Society volume Before Siam, Nicolas Revire argues that copying sacred formulas in this region was mainly a merit-making act [3]. He notes that the merit was understood to accrue both to the person who engraved the verses and to the person who recited them [3].
Many tablets were sealed away inside stupas rather than worn [1].
Dvaravati votive tablets (about the 6th–11th centuries CE)
Buddhism reached the area of modern Thailand around the Dvaravati period, bringing the custom of making tablets with it [2]. Thai Wikipedia attributes Dvaravati tablets to the Mon and says they were usually of fired clay, with art based on the Amaravati style and Gupta features on some pieces [1].
Museum records show what these objects look like:
- Bangkok National Museum. A tablet in the Dvaravati room shows the Buddha performing the twin miracle under a mango tree, with "Ye Dhamma" lettering on its lowest part. The record describes it as moulded clay that was then heated, and dates it to the 12th–16th Buddhist-era centuries [4].
- Khon Kaen National Museum. A similar twin-miracle tablet came from Nakhon Champasri in Maha Sarakham province. It carries the same 12th–16th century BE dating [5].
- Penn Museum. A stamped clay tablet catalogued as Mon, Dvaravati period, 10th century [6].
- Khok Mai Den, Nakhon Sawan. A clay tablet engraved in Pali with homage to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, dated 7th–8th century CE and held in the Bangkok National Museum [3].
Converted from the Buddhist era (BE minus 543), the 12th–16th centuries BE given in these records fall roughly in the 6th–11th centuries CE [4], [5].
Haripunchai, Lopburi and Sukhothai: tablets sealed in stupas
Thai Wikipedia outlines the regional traditions that followed [1]:
- Haripunchai (the Lamphun region): many tablets were made, often to be placed in stupas. Some carry inscriptions recording the building or restoration of a stupa.
- Lopburi: tablets often show several Buddha images on one plaque, or Buddhas with bodhisattvas.
- Sukhothai: tablets were made of fired clay and of a metal called chin (ชิน), and have been found in stupa crypts. Their making is linked to the Traiphum cosmology and the hope of rebirth in the era of the future Buddha Maitreya.
The Thai Wikipedia entry on phra khruang adds that in the Srivijaya period, under Mahayana influence, tablets were also made to dedicate merit to the dead [2].
One of the Benjapakee amulets comes from this world. Phra Rod (พระรอด) is placed in the late Dvaravati (Haripunchai) period by Thai Wikipedia [2]. Daily News describes the rarer Phra Rod Luang from the same Wat Mahawan crypt as a fired-clay amulet of the Lamphun school, presumed to date from the era of Chamadevi, the first ruler of Haripunchai [20].
Ayutthaya: crypts, Wat Ratchaburana and the turn to carrying tablets
Two Ayutthaya-period developments stand out in the sources: very large deposits of tablets in stupa crypts (kru, กรุ), and the carrying of tablets on the body [1], [7].
The Wat Ratchaburana crypt
Wat Ratchaburana in Ayutthaya was built in 1967 BE (1424 CE) by King Borommarachathirat II, also called Chao Sam Phraya [7], [8]. Its main prang held a crypt. According to English Wikipedia, the crypt's discovery in 1956 became national news, and in 1957 a large group of thieves dug into it and looted artefacts [8]. Thai Wikipedia gives the discovery as 2499 BE with the theft the following year [7].
Police recovered part of the haul, and the Fine Arts Department then excavated the crypt [7]. The official excavation found three chambers holding over 100,000 votive tablets, more than 2,000 offerings and over 100 kg of gold [7], [8]. The finds are kept at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum [7]. The Fine Arts Department published a 2014 book on the Buddha images and votive tablets in this crypt [10].
Thairath reports that gold in the nearby Wat Mahathat crypt was looted in 2489–2493 BE (1946–1950 CE) [9].
From the stupa to the helmet
Thai Wikipedia states that in the Ayutthaya period the purpose of making tablets shifted: they came to be carried on the body, in the belief that they were auspicious and sacred [1]. The phra khruang entry adds that tablets then took over a role earlier filled by other items carried into war, such as cloth yantra (pha prachiat) and takrut [2].
The example Thai Wikipedia cites is the poem Lilit Taleng Phai (ลิลิตตะเลงพ่าย). It says King Naresuan fixed a votive tablet from Phichit to his helmet when he went to war [1]. Phra Nang Phaya (พระนางพญา), one of the Benjapakee, is associated with King Naresuan and the Ayutthaya period by Thai Wikipedia, which gives no date for its making [2], [17].
When did Thais start wearing amulets? From phra phim to phra khruang
The shift from enshrined tablet to worn amulet was gradual. Thai Wikipedia says that in the Rattanakosin period, tablets became objects of veneration in their own right and developed into phra khruang, made mainly to hang around the neck rather than to be sealed away [1].
The phra khruang entry gives two reasons for rising demand in the early Rattanakosin period: changing Buddhist views and Western influence [2]. It also notes that the word "phra khruang" first appears in the reign of King Rama IV [2]. English Wikipedia adds that such amulets were also used to raise funds for temple operations [25].
The Associated Press noted in 2007 that amulets are not formally part of Buddhist doctrine, even though most Thais are Buddhist [24]. Stanley Tambiah published a study of the Thai cult of amulets in 1984, The Buddhist Saints of the Forest and the Cult of Amulets, with Cambridge University Press [27].
How old is Phra Somdej? Somdet To and the 1860s
Phra Somdej (พระสมเด็จ, 崇迪 [28]) is the Rattanakosin-era member of the Benjapakee set [2], and Thai Wikipedia counts Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang among the best-known amulets in Thailand [11]. Its maker, Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phrommarangsi), was born on 17 April 2331 BE (1788 CE) and died on 22 June 2415 BE (1872 CE) [11]. He was abbot of Wat Rakhang Khositaram from 2395 to 2415 BE (1852–1872 CE) and received the title Somdet Phra Phutthachan in 2407 BE (1864 CE) [11].
Dating the tablets
A Thairath writer, citing the collector-author Triyampawai, traces the start of the square Phra Somdej to an account by Phra Thammathawon, a close disciple of Somdet To [12]. Phra Thammathawon said the tablets were begun when he had been ordained for two rains retreats; he was ordained in 2407 BE, which points to about 2409 BE (1866 CE) [12]. The writer concludes that the square Phra Somdej were made from 2409 BE until Somdet To's death in 2415 BE (1866–1872 CE) [12].
Thairath's English edition sets out a sequence for the three main groups [13]:
- Wat Ket Chaiyo: a first large batch of about 84,000 pieces, dated to around 1866 CE or slightly earlier, mostly with five-, six- and seven-tiered bases.
- Wat Rakhang: made after Wat Ket Chaiyo and before Wat Bang Khun Phrom. The total is unknown; the writer concludes it was neither a single 84,000 batch nor a very small number.
- Wat Bang Khun Phrom: about 84,000 pieces, made around 1868–1870 CE and enshrined in 1870 CE.
On this dating, the earliest square Phra Somdej were made from about 1866 CE [12], [13], roughly 160 years before 2026. The Thairath writer adds that evidence for any non-square tablets Somdet To made before 2409 BE is very limited [12].
What a Phra Somdej is made of
A 2012 study in the Srinakharinwirot University research journal describes the tablets of Somdet To's lineage as small bas-reliefs of a seated Buddha in meditation, on a base of 3, 5, 6, 7 or 9 tiers [15]. Daily News lists the materials of the large-mould Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang, including several sacred powders, fragments of older tablets and a plaster called pun phet (ปูนเพชร) [16]. It names five Wat Rakhang types by mould: Phim Yai, Chedi, Kaeset Bua Tum, Than Saem and Prok Pho [16].
Crypt openings, 1782–1957: how old tablets reached collectors
English Wikipedia notes that amulets are often discovered when temple structures collapse [25]. Dated examples:
| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2325 BE (1782 CE) | Stupa at Wat Mahawan, Lamphun, collapses; tens of thousands of Phra Rod spill out and are re-enshrined | [19] |
| 2425 BE (1882 CE) | First recorded "rope fishing" of Phra Somdej from the Wat Bang Khun Phrom chedi (date from one oral account) | [14] |
| About 2444 BE (1901 CE) | Phra Nang Phaya crypt opens at Wat Nang Phaya, Phitsanulok, during King Chulalongkorn's visit | [17] |
| 2451 BE (1908 CE) | Wat Mahawan stupa base fails again; Phra Rod are offered for veneration widely | [19] |
| 2456 BE (1913 CE) | Phra Phong Suphan found in the chedi of Wat Mahathat, Suphanburi | [18] |
| 2500 BE (1957 CE) | Wat Ratchaburana crypt looted, then excavated by the Fine Arts Department | [7], [8] |
| 24 Nov 2500 BE (1957 CE) | Official opening of the Wat Bang Khun Phrom chedi | [14] |
Phra Nang Phaya and the royal visit
Thai Wikipedia says the crypt broke open about 1901 while ground near Wat Nang Phaya was cleared for King Chulalongkorn's visit to watch the casting of a Phra Buddha Chinnarat replica [17]. Tablets presented to the king were shared out among his entourage, and some were later taken to Bangkok [17]. Further finds followed in about 2512, then 2530 and 2553 BE (about 1969, then 1987 and 2010 CE) [17].
Wat Bang Khun Phrom: from 20 baht to 3,500 baht
At Wat Bang Khun Phrom the temple let people "fish" for tablets with ropes lowered into the chedi, in 2425, 2436 and 2450 BE (1882, 1893 and 1907 CE); the 2425 date rests on one oral account [14]. At the 2436 fishing the rental price was at most 20 baht per tablet [14]. Thairath, citing Triyampawai, says thieves broke in twice in October 2500 BE (1957 CE) and took more than 1,000 pieces [14].
The official opening on 24 November 2500 BE was presided over by General Praphas Charusathien and recovered about 2,950 tablets in nine mould types [14]. Thairath reports December 1957 rental prices for pieces still coated in crypt deposit of 800 baht (Chedi mould), 500 baht (Sanghati) and 400 baht (Ok Khrut), and about 3,000–3,500 baht for clean ones [14]. It also quotes 1,500 and 2,000 baht for pieces with heavier and lighter crust [14].
Phra Phong Suphan
Thairath reports that the earliest batches of Phra Phong Suphan (พระผงสุพรรณ) were found in the chedi of Wat Mahathat, Suphanburi, in 2456 BE (1913 CE) [18]. A gold-leaf inscription describes their making from flower-pollen powder and other auspicious materials [18]. The "old face" type is linked to the U-Thong period [18].
The collector era: Benjapakee, coins and contests
By the mid-20th century collecting had its own canon. Thai Wikipedia states that the Benjapakee set began to take shape around 2490 BE (1947 CE), assembled by the collector-author Triyampawai, Colonel Prachon Kittiprawat [2]. It groups five tablets from five eras [2]:
| Amulet | Era | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang | Rattanakosin | Wat Rakhang Khositaram |
| Phra Rod | Late Dvaravati / Haripunchai | Wat Mahawan, Lamphun |
| Phra Kamphaeng Sum Kor | Sukhothai | Kamphaeng Phet |
| Phra Nang Phaya | Ayutthaya | Wat Nang Phaya, Phitsanulok |
| Phra Phong Suphan | U-Thong | Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, Suphanburi |
Mid-century temple issues are collected too. Thairath ranks the 2497 BE (1954 CE) first batch of Luang Pu Thuat amulets from Wat Chang Hai, made by Phra Ajarn Tim, at the top of its list of that temple's most expensive and rarest series [21]. The list also includes coins (rian, เหรียญ) from 2506 and 2508 BE (1963 and 1965 CE) and metal figures from 2505 BE (1962 CE) [21].
THE STANDARD describes how collectors used to find amulets: at homes near temples and at amulet contests (prakuat phra), and later through magazines [22]. It calls online rental a fast-rising channel [22].
The modern Thai amulet market: the 2007 Jatukham boom and today
The Jatukham Rammathep (จตุคามรามเทพ) episode showed how fast the modern market could move. The amulets were first made in 1987 in Nakhon Si Thammarat to raise funds for a new city pillar [23], [24]. In April 2007 the Bangkok Post reported that more than 10,000 people camped overnight outside a school to buy them [23]. It reported that the amulets were said to be pumping about 100 million baht a week into the province's economy [23].
The AP reported in August 2007 that the original 1987 pieces were priced at under 50 baht, while they could then fetch more than 100,000 baht [24]. A stampede in Nakhon Si Thammarat that April left one woman dead and dozens injured [24]. Several leading monks criticised the fad [23].
The boom did not last. English Wikipedia records that the bubble appeared to have burst by late 2007, leaving many pieces available at low prices [25]. In April 2008 The Wall Street Journal, quoted by New Mandala, reported a glut and doubts about whether many pieces had been properly blessed [26].
Where the trade happened in 2021
THE STANDARD names Tha Phra Chan, Pantip Ngamwongwan and SC Plaza in Bangkok as main trading places, alongside Facebook pages and live streams [22]. It reports buyers from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan [22]. The same 2021 article puts the yearly turnover at more than 7 billion baht, without naming who made the estimate [22]. It cites a record rental price of 35 million baht in 2010 for a Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang, Phim Yai [22].
For recent figures, see our observed listing prices, each linked to its source and capture date.
Where to see pieces like this — Our sister shop, Shogun X Amulets, lists amulets and talismans: https://shogunxamulets.com/?s=amulet&post_type=product. Disclosure: Shogun X Amulets and ThaiAmuletExchange.com are run by the same group.