THE FULL NAME OF THIS EXQUSITELY BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE IS PHRA SOMDEJ TOH BUDDHACHARN PHOMARANGSI BUT MOST CALL IT AFTER THE NAME OF THE VENERABELE MONK LUANG POH TOH.
LUANG POH TOH IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ANOTHER MORE FAMOUS MONK WITH A SIMILAR SOUNDING NAME---LUANG POH TUAD!
LUANG POH TOH LIVED FROM 1788 TO 1872 WHILE LUANG POH TUAD LIVED SOME 400 YEARS AGO.
THERE ARE MANY STATUES OF LUANG POH TOH BUT THIS TEMPLE LOCATED AT SIKHIU AT NAKORN RATCHASIMA IS EASILY THE LARGEST AND SITS BENEATH A GOLDEN DOME WHICH IS STARTLINGLY GLORIOUS.
THE GARDENS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY LOVELY AND SO WELL MAINTAINED IT IS WORTH A TRIP.
ONE WALKS ACROSS A BRIDGE OVER A LAKE TO REACH THE MAIN TEMPLE WHICH GLITTERS LIKE AN ENCHANTED PALACE BEFORE ENTERING THE TEMPLE. A LIFESIZED STATUE OF LUANG POH TOH SITS IN FRONT OF THE HUGE ONE AROUND 13 METRES HIGH, 8 METRES WIDE AND WEIGHS 61 TONS.
IT TOOK 2 YEARS FOR THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION BUT LONGER FOR THE FUND RAISING INITIATED BY FAMOUS 1970S ACTOR SORAPONG CHATREE WHO APPARENTLY HAD MANY WISHES GRANTED AND GAINED MUCH FAME AND FORTUNE. HE DONATED THE BULK OF THE COST AND MANY ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS WORTHY CAUSE.
LUANG POH TOH TAUGHT KING RAMA IV WHEN MONGKUT WAS A MONK AND SOME BELIEVE HE WAS A SON OF KING RAMA I.
LUANG POH TOH WAS FAMOUS IN HIS LIFETIME AS HE WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED MASTER IN BUDDHIST LITERATURE, SCRIPTURE AND MAGICAL SCIENCES. HE WAS GIVEN THE HONORIFIC TITLE 'PHRA BUDDHACHARN TOH POMARANGSI' DURING THE REIGN OF KING RAMA IV.
LUANG POH TOH WAS ALSO FAMOUS AS AN EXORCIST AND HIS MOST CELEBRATED CASE INVOLVED NANG NAK, A GHOST STORY KNOWN TO EVERY THAI.
MANY THAIS ARE CONVINCED THIS IS A TRYE GHOST STORY SINCE IT IS ALL ABOUT UNDYING, ETERNAL LOVE THAT DEATH COULD NOT SEPARATE.
NAK WAS A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN MARRIED TO MAK CAN YOU BELIEVE THEIR NAMES? NAK AND MAK!
ANYWAY, MAK WAS CONSCRIPTED TO FIGHT A BATTLE, LEAVING PREGNANT NAK BEHIND. THE DEVOTED WIFE PRAYED SHOULD ANYTHING HAPPEN TO MAK, SHE ASKED HER LIFE TO BE SACRIFICED FOR HIS.
ALAS, THIS CAME TO PASS. MAK WAS SERIOUSLY WOUNDED IN BATTLE AND WAS ABOUT TO DIE WHEN NAK'S PETITION TO THE GODS WAS GRANTED AND HE RECOVERED MIRACULOUSLY TO RETURN HOME.
UNFORTUNATELY, NAK DIED DURING CHILDBIRTH BUT HER LOVE FOR MAK WAS SO STRONG HER SOUL REFUSED TO LEAVE THIS WORLD. NAK MOVED HEAVEN AND EARTH TO REMAIN IN OUR SPHERE TOGETHER WITH HER BABY.
MAK THUS RETURNED TO SEE HIS LOVELY WIFE AND BOUNCING BABY, UNAWARE BOTH HAD DIED. NEIGHBOURS WHO TRIED TO WARN HIM WERE KILLED BY NAK.
ONE DAY, MAK WAS IN THE GARDEN WHEN NAK DROPPED HER COMB (OR A LIME AS SHE WAS COOKING ACCORDING TO ANOTHER VERSION) WHICH FELL THROUGH A CRACK ON THE WOODEN FLOOR OF THEIR HOUSE ON STILTS.
THINKING NO ONE WAS AROUND, NAK SLID HER HAND THROUGH THE GAP TO THE GROUND SOME 4 METRES BELOW TO RETRIEVE IT!
MAK SAW AND KNEW HIS WIFE WAS A GHOST!
HE SOUGHT HELP FROM A MONK WHO GAVE HIM A MIRROR. TRUE ENOUGH, WHEN HE LOOKED INTO THE MIRROR TO SEE THE REFLECTION OF HIS WIFE AND SON, HE SAW 2 CORPSES AND REALISED BOTH ARE DEAD.
MAK FLED TO NEARBY WAT MAHABUT IN PHRA KHANONG CANAL IN BANGKOK. NAK FOLLOWED BUT COULD NOT ENTER HOLY GROUND. SHE BESEECHED HIM TO RETURN BUT HE REFUSED.
IN A RAGE, NAK STARTED TERRORISING THE VILLAGERS AND DESTROYING THEIR HOMES AND CROPS. THE TERRIFIED VILLAGERS SUMMONED LUANG POH TOH WHO ORDERED NAK TO RETURN TO THE NETHERWORLD.
SHE REFUSED BUT RELENTED WHEN LUANG POH TOH REVEALED IN A FUTURE REINCARNATION SHE WOULD BE REUNITED WITH MAK AND THEY WOULD LIVE A LONG AND HAPPY LIFE.
IN A TEARFUL FAREWELL WITH HER HUSBAND SWEARING UNDYING LOVE FOR HER AND HIS SON, NAK ALLOWED LUANG POH TOH TO CUT A PORTION OF HER FOREHEAD TO ALLOW HER SOUL TO BE RELEASED.
THIS PIECE OF BONE FROM HER FOREHEAD WAS GIVEN TO HRH PRINCE CHUMBHORN KETUDOMSAK AND HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN IN HIS FAMILY TO ITS CURRENT OWNER THOUGH IT HAS NEVER BEEN PUBLICLY DISPLAYED.
THERE IS A SHRINE DEDICATED TO NAK IN ON NUT ON SUKHUMVIT SOI 77 IN SUANG LUANG DISTRICT IN BANGKOK. MANY GO TO PRAY FOR EASY CHILDBIRTH AND AFFAIRS OF THE HEART.
IN HIS LIFE TIME, LUANG POH TOH WAS RENOWNED FOR MAKING AMULETS AND LUCKY TALISMANS. ORIGINAL AMULETS SELL TODAY FOR AROUND HALF A MILLION RINGGIT.
IN HIS LIFETIME THIS MONK HELPED COUNTLESS PEOPLE AND A GREAT LIGHT WAS EXTINGUISHED ON 22 JUNE 1872 WHEN HE ENTERED NIRVANA AGED 85.
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