Jatukham Rammathep ( th, จตุคามรามเทพ) is the name of a popular

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

sold by some

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The amulet is named for two princes of the

Srivijaya Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th t ...

kingdom of southern Thailand, and is believed to provide protection and good fortune to the bearer. Some legends hold that the name actually belongs to an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, whose worship was known in the south due to the presence of

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

Buddhism there during earlier eras.Who is Jatukham Rammathep?
/ref> The original Jatukam Rammathep amulets were created in 1987 by a retired Thai police general who believed that the spirit of Jatukham Rammathep had assisted him in solving a difficult murder case. During 2006, Jatukam Rammathep amulets began to grow wildly in popularity among Thais who believed in their ability to grant good fortune and solve personal problems. The amulets were initially distributed by a temple in the town of

Nakhon Si Thammarat Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality ( th, เทศบาลนครนครศรีธรรมราช, ; from Pali ''Nagara Sri Dhammaraja'') is a municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') in Southern Thailand, capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat pro ...

in southern Thailand. As the demand for these amulets grew, they began to also be produced at other temples in Thailand."Revered Thai monk flogs sarcastic fortune cookies"
/ref> In April 2007, a woman died after being trampled in a rush to acquire reservations for a batch of Jatukam Rammathep amulets being produced at the Mahathat Woromaha Vihan temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Later that month, in the face of a crime wave of daily amulet robberies, Thailand's

Supreme Patriarch Sangharaja ( Pāli: '' sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' ...

stopped providing materials from the temple, such as ash from incense, used to make the amulets. Trucks with loudspeakers blare promotions for different series of amulets all day in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and colorful posters cover many walls.Head, Jonathan. 2007-09-03
"Thailand's frenzy for amulets."
BBC News, via news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. It is estimated that sales of the Jatukham Rammathep amulet in Thailand will amount to over 20 billion

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-m ...

during 2007.

References

External links

History of Jatukam Ramathep amulets

The Jatukham Rammathep Amulet Obsession
– includes an image of a Jatukham Rammathep amulet
Patriarch ends role in amulets

AmuletForums – Thai Amulets and Buddhism Online Discussion Forums
Thai culture Buddhism in Thailand Buddhist artifacts Thai folklore {{Buddhism-stub