Luang Pu Tim Issariko (16 June 1879 - 16 October 1975; 2422 - 2518 BE), ecclesiastically titled Phra Khru Phawanaphirat, was the longtime abbot of Wat Lahanrai in Ban Khai District, Rayong Province, and one of the most prominent monastic figures of twentieth-century eastern Thailand [1][2][3]. Across nearly seven decades as abbot of a once-isolated rural monastery, he became known for strict ascetic discipline, a lifelong vegetarian single-meal regimen, and the creation of sacred powders and metal castings during his final years [3][4]. Collectors and historians of Thai Buddhist material culture know him equally under the spellings Luang Pu Tim Issarigo and Luang Phor Tim Wat Lahanrai, and his late-career consecrations -- notably the Phra Khun Paen Phong Prai Kuman powder tablets, Luk Om powder beads, and the 1974 (2517 BE) Phra Kring Chinabanchorn series -- rank among the most documented and highest-valued post-war amulets in Thailand [6][7][8][10].
Early life, military service, and ordination
Luang Pu Tim was born on Friday, 16 June 1879 (the 5th waning day of the 7th lunar month, Year of the Goat, 2422 BE) at Ban Hua Thung Ta But in Tambon Lahan (part of present-day Tambon Nong Lalok), Ban Khai District, Rayong Province [1][3]. His birth name was Tim Ngamsri, and he was the second child of Nai Chae and Nang In Ngamsri [3][4]. Through his mother, Nang In, he stood in direct family lineage to one of Rayong's earliest recorded monk-practitioners: Nang In was the younger sister of Luang Pu Sang Thao (Luang Phor Sang), the founding abbot of Wat Rai Wari (later renamed Wat Lahanrai) who was later invited by the provincial governor to reside at Wat Keng Chin in Rayong town [1][3][16].
Because rural Ban Khai in the late nineteenth century had no state primary schools, the local monastery served as the sole center of literacy [4]. At age seventeen, his father entrusted him to Phra Ajahn Sing at Wat Lahanrai to learn Thai reading and writing alongside foundational Buddhist chants [4]. After a year of study, he returned home to assist his parents with farming [4][5].
At age nineteen, Tim Ngamsri was conscripted into military service in Bangkok for more than four years [3][4]. Following his discharge and return to Ban Khai, he entered the Buddhist sangha on 7 June 1906 (2449 BE), at age twenty-seven, inside the ordination precinct (พัทธสีมา, phatthasima) of Wat Lahanrai [1][3][4]. Phra Khru Khao of Wat Thap Ma served as his preceptor (upajjhaya), while Phra Ajahn Sing and Phra Ajahn Ket acted as his First and Second Ordination Teachers, bestowing the Pali monastic name (chaya) Issariko (often romanized as Luang Pu Tim Issarigo) [1][3][4].
Forest wandering and esoteric lineage
After spending one rains retreat (vassa) at Wat Lahanrai, the newly ordained monk undertook ascetic wandering (dhutanga) across eastern and central Thailand for three years [1][3][4]. During this period, he practiced mindfulness meditation alongside the study of traditional katha (incantations), yant (sacred diagrams), and herbal medicine from ordained masters and senior lay specialists (kharawat) [1][3][16].
In Chonburi Province, he stayed for two rains retreats at Wat Namatum in Phanat Nikhom District [3][4]. There he studied traditional esoteric sciences with lay masters Ajahn Roem, Ajahn Rot, and Ajahn Sai, as well as with Luang Phor Daeng of Wat Nong Kae [3][4]. Upon returning to Rayong, he studied the folding-book (samut khoi) manuals left at Wat Lahanrai by his grand-uncle Luang Pu Sang Thao of Wat Keng Chin, and exchanged knowledge with Rayong masters Luang Phor Yo of Wat Khao Takrao and Luang Phor Larp of Wat Ban Na [1][3][4][16].
Abbotship and transformation of Wat Lahanrai
Following his return to Ban Khai, Luang Pu Tim became abbot of Wat Lahanrai, serving continuously until his death in 1975 [1][2][3]. Press biographies cite 1907 (2450 BE) or his return from three years of wandering around 1909 as the start of his administration [2][3][4]. Originally founded around 1811 (2354 BE) by Luang Phor Sang Thao across the canal from Wat Lahan Yai, the monastery was first called Wat Rai Wari because water surrounded its clearings [2][16]. Before Luang Pu Tim, it was led by early abbots Luang Phor Sang Thao, Luang Phor Koet, Luang Phor Sing, and Luang Phor Chuam [2][16].
Under Luang Pu Tim, Wat Lahanrai grew from an 8-rai timber monastery into the educational and religious center of its subdistrict [4][12]. In 1940 (2483 BE), he mobilized villagers to fell timber and hand-saw planks for a permanent wooden school, completing the building in eight months and transferring it to the Ministry of Education as the "Prachaban 1 Kho" primary school [3][4].
Over the following decades, local and national donations funded key infrastructure [4][12]:
- Public roads and bridges: He organized villagers to clear dirt roads and built fourteen bridges across local streams [4].
- Ordination hall (ubosot): He replaced the deteriorating wooden hall with a masonry ubosot and consecrated its boundary stones (luk nimit); the royal boundary grant (wisungkhamasima) was issued on 28 June 1973 (2516 BE) [2][4].
- Preaching and dining halls: He built a two-story preaching hall (sala kan parian) and a monastic refectory (hor chan) costing over four million baht [4].
His standing was recognized in three stages by the Thai sangha hierarchy [1][3][4]:
| Year (BE / CE) | Ecclesiastic Rank | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2478 BE / 1935 CE | Phra Khru Prathuan | Initial ecclesiastic rank conferred by the supreme patriarchate [4]. |
| 2497 BE / 1954 CE | Phra Khru Sanyabat (3rd Class) | Promoted under the royal title Phra Khru Phawanaphirat [3][4]. |
| 2507 BE / 1964 CE | Phra Khru Sanyabat (2nd Class, Vipassana) | Elevated on 5 December 1964 in the meditation (vipassana) division [1][3][4]. |
Ascetic lifestyle and personal discipline
Reverence for Luang Phor Tim Wat Lahanrai stemmed largely from his austere daily routine [3][4][16]. Biographical records in Komchadluek and Kapook document that for more than forty-seven consecutive years until his passing, he abstained completely from eating meat, poultry, fish, and seafood [3][4][16].
His daily rule followed three strict principles [3][4]:
- Single morning meal: He ate one meal a day at 7:00 a.m., consisting of plain rice, boiled vegetables, fermented soybean paste (thua nao), or chili with salt [3][4].
- Afternoon liquid cutoff: After midday he drank only water or Chinese tea, and after 4:00 p.m. he refused even tea [4].
- Material simplicity: He lived in a plain wooden kuti without luxury furnishings, directing cash offerings into school, bridge, and temple construction funds [4][12].
Major amulets and consecrated series
Although Luang Pu Tim made palm-leaf talismans (takrut), inscribed cloths (pha yant), and early powder images for local villagers for decades, his national reputation crystallized between 1972 and 1975 (2515 - 2518 BE), when lay disciples organized fundraising editions to complete the ubosot and sala kan parian [4][6][7].
Phra Khun Paen Phong Prai Kuman and the "mortar catching fire" account
For collectors researching Luang Phor Tim Khun Paen issues, the pentagonal powder tablet Phra Khun Paen Phong Prai Kuman is the signature amulet of Wat Lahanrai [8][9][10]. The obverse depicts the Buddha seated in meditation within a five-sided arch (sum reuan kaeo), flanked by two beckoning figures (Nang Kwak) and supported below the base by a reclining child figure (Kuman Thong) [8]. The reverse bears the sunken five-syllable sacred diagram Yant Ha (Yant Phra Chao Ha Phra Ong, representing Na Mo Put Tha Ya), Luang Pu Tim's hallmark yantra [8].
Accounts given to Thairath by disciple Phianwit Charusathit and late temple steward (waiyawachakon) Sai Kaewsawang distinguish between an early trial mold (pim long khrok) carved by villager Nai Kaeo Bunkrong and the standard brass-die editions (pim yai Type A and pim lek Type B) [8][9]. Luang Pu Tim had disciples combine sacred chalk powders (phong patamang, phong itthije, phong maharaj, phong phutthakhun) with herbal pollens (wan) and his consecrated Phong Prai Kuman powder [8][9]. When the early stone-and-lead mold produced uneven strikes, roughly two thousand trial tablets were broken up in a mortar by helper Samphao Samrit (nicknamed Thit Khrok) to re-sieve the powder for the brass dies -- an episode remembered in Rayong lore as "the mortar catching fire" (fai luk khrok) [9].
Luk Om Phong Prai Kuman
Paired with the Khun Paen tablets are the spherical powder beads called Luk Om Phong Prai Kuman (or Luk Om Maha Chindamanee) [9][10][12]. Hand-rolled from the excess Phong Prai Kuman, itthije, patamang, and herbal mixtures left over from pressing the Khun Paen molds, they were frequently coated in gold bronze paint (bron thong) [9][10][12]. As genuine Khun Paen Pim Yai tablets reached seven-figure baht valuations, collectors turned to Luk Om beads as a more accessible form of the same consecrated powder batch [8][10][12].
The 1974 (2517 BE) Phra Kring Chinabanchorn series
In 1973 (2516 BE), Royal Irrigation Department official Chinnaporn Suksatit visited Wat Lahanrai with colleagues Pracha Triphasai and Phianwit Charusathit [6]. With the abbot's permission to raise building funds, Chinnaporn's committee cast the Chinabanchorn metal series on Sunday, 5 May 1974 (2517 BE) in the courtyard of Wat Lahanrai [3][6][7].
Named after the Chinabanchorn (Jinapanjara) Pali stanza, the 1974 casting included four forms: Phra Kring Chinabanchorn, Phra Chaiwat Chinabanchorn, Phra Sangkachai Chinabanchorn, and Phra Pidta Chinabanchorn [7]. Chinnaporn told Komchadluek that when pieces were first offered at 100 to 150 baht, sceptics mocked the internal rattling bead by calling them "Phra Krading" ("cowbell Buddhas"), before collector demand drove prices into the millions of baht [3][6][7].
Production logs published by Komchadluek and Thairath record exact mintages for the six Phra Kring Chinabanchorn variants [3][7][10]:
| Variant of Phra Kring Chinabanchorn (2517 BE) | Mintage | Construction Details |
|---|---|---|
| Solid Gold (Nuea Thong Kham) | 13 pieces | Pure gold body sealed with a solid gold base plate [3][7]. |
| Nawaloha, Gold Base (Kon Thong Kham) | 16 pieces | Nine-metal alloy body sealed with a gold base cap [7]. |
| Nawaloha, Silver Base (Kon Ngoen) | 390 pieces | Split into 195 pieces for Wat Lahanrai and 195 bell-stamped pieces for Wat Chao Chet [7][10]. |
| Nawaloha, Open Base (Kon U Phong Prai Kuman) | 104 pieces | Base hollowed and packed with Phong Prai Kuman powder [7]. |
| Nawaloha, Copper Base (Kon Thong Daeng) | 2,595 pieces | Standard edition sealed with a copper base plate [3][7]. |
| Borom Phuttho Metal (Nuea Borom Phuttho) | 9 pieces | Presentation casting using Borom Phuttho alloy [7]. |
The committee also cast Phra Chaiwat Chinabanchorn in three tiers -- 59 gold, 95 gold-plated, and 1,746 nawaloha pieces -- plus ten 12-inch Phra Rup Muean Bucha altar statues [7][11].
Celebrated coins and state auction benchmarks
Two struck medallions from 1974-1975 also hold benchmark status [6][10]:
- Rian Charoen Phon (2517 BE / 1974 CE): Struck in Charoen Phon Lang (inscription below portrait) and Charoen Phon Bon (inscription above portrait) varieties after the Lang die cracked during production [6][10].
- Rian Sema 8 Rop (2518 BE / 1975 CE): Issued for Luang Pu Tim's eighth twelve-year cycle (age 96), including 56 solid gold coins alongside silver, nawaloha, and copper issues [10][16].
On 19 January 2023, Thailand's Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO / ปปง.) held auction 1/2566 in Bangkok, offering eleven seized Luang Pu Tim amulets with official opening bids (rakha roem ton) reported by Thairath [10]:
- Phra Khun Paen Phong Prai Kuman Pim Yai (2517 BE, white powder in diamond-set gold case): 546,600 baht [10].
- Rian Sema 8 Rop (nawaloha with silver-plated rim and gold sanghati robe): 370,000 baht [10].
- Phra Kring Chinabanchorn (2517 BE, nawaloha silver base, No. 139): 300,000 baht [10].
- Rian Charoen Phon Bon (copper): 250,000 baht; Rian Charoen Phon Lang (copper): 180,000 baht [10].
- Luk Om Phong Prai Kuman (2517 BE, in gold case): 100,000 baht [10].
Passing, royal cremation, and discipleship legacy
In late September 1975 (2518 BE), Luang Pu Tim was admitted to Somdet Phra Borom Ratchathewi Na Sriracha Hospital in Chonburi for twenty-three days [4]. At his request to return to his temple, he was brought back to Wat Lahanrai, where he passed away in front of the preaching hall at 11:00 p.m. on 16 October 1975 at age 96 (69 vassa) [1][4][5]. His royal cremation took place at Wat Lahanrai in March 1983 (2526 BE; recorded as 6 March in Thai Wikipedia and 16 March in Komchadluek) [1][3].
His successor, Phra Khru Wichit Thammaphirat (Luang Phor Choei Chonathammo, 1942 - 2021), served as abbot until his death on 24 September 2021 at age 79 [2][13]. With the Luang Pu Tim Foundation, Luang Phor Choei expanded the temple from 8 rai to over 100 rai, built a 36-million-baht concrete bridge (52 by 10 meters) and a 4-million-baht suspension bridge, and erected the giant golden statue of Luang Pu Tim [12][13][15][16]. Three direct monastic disciples carried on his Phong Prai Kuman tradition: Luang Phor Sakhon Manunyo of Wat Nong Krap, Luang Phor Thongsuk of Wat Nong Kho, and Luang Phor Sin Phatthacharo of Wat Lahan Yai [4][14]. Today, Wat Lahanrai opens daily from 08:00 to 17:00, where visitors recite his devotional chant (Itisukhato Arahang Puttho Namo Putthaya Ma A U Dukkhang Anicchang Anatta Puttho Puttho) before his shrine and golden chedi [15][16].