Similar to belief in Phaya Jolakhe, myths, legends, and folklores relating to Phaya Tao are abundant in Thai culture. The belief may be traced as far back as 1600 AD after the Siamese victory over the Laos. A new settlement Tao Ngoi Village was built along the Lam Nam Phung River in Sakon Nakhon. Presently, the Kudnakham Arts and Crafts Center has built a giant Phaya Tao sculpture surrounded by numerous smaller ones behind the Tao Ngoi District Office.

The main essence of this belief is longevity and prosperity. There are several guru masters in the Kingdom of Thailand making and consecrating statues and amulets of Phaya Tao and the most prominent is of course Luang Pu Liu of Wat Rai Tang Thong, Nakhon Pathom.

Phaya Tao from Wat Lam Bua Loi

If the most acclaimed Phaya Tao statues and amulets are attributed to Luang Phor Liu, you may wonder what then is so special about those made and consecrated by Luang Pu Sanit of Wat Lam Bua Loi?

Whilst most guru master used conventional charms of longevity and prosperity in their creation of Phaya Tao, on the other hand, Luang Pu Sanit, besides conventional charms, has added charms to detect and protect against dangers to his creation. These are special features of Phaya Tao originating from Wat Lam Bua Loi.

Phaya Tao Reun Wud Khring

These features are most eminent in the Phaya Tao Reun Wud Khring amulet made in year 2535 and consecrated for five years before they were released in year 2540. In each of these Phaya Tao Reun Wud Khring amulet there is a talismanic heart inserted into the belly of the Phaya Tao. When the bell rings it signifies auspiciousness but if it does not then believers are advised to avoid all intended activities because the Phaya Tao has detected dangers.

For anyone who has visited Wat Lam Bua Loi he would have noticed that in one of the chamber there are numerous Phaya Tao carved from stones and marbles sitting of racks. Those statues are actually not available to the public. They are actually meant to guard the temple which is why Wat Lam Bua Loi is also known as the house of tortoises to the locals. The only Phaya Tao statues available to the public were made in year 2540 and released in year 2542 after Luang Pu Sanit entered nirvana. They come in the sizes of 3, 5, and 7 inches. Only a total of 797 pieces were made altogether.

However, according to the current abbot Phrakru Pradit, there have been a large number of fake Phaya Tao amulets and statues that are falsely represented to have originated from Wat Lam Bua Loi and consecrated by Luang Pu Sanit. His venerable has in a notification dated September 6, 2560 made the following clarifications:

1. The statue of Phaya Tao on a green resin tray (on the left side of Luang Pu Sanit’s photograph) is a prototype brought by a craftsman to Luang Pu Sanit for examination. But because the craftsman was not able to find all the 9 colors stipulated by Luang Pu Sanit, therefore, the construction was stopped. The only prototype is now at the temple as seen in the photograph.

2. The bronze Phaya Tao on a white tray (on the right hand side of Luang Pu Sanit’s photograph) was made and consecrated in year 2540. A total of 797 pieces were created.

3. The Golden Phaya Tao (in front of Luang Pu Sanit’s photograph) is taxidermy and there is only 1 piece.

4. The small Phaya Tao of size 3 inches (bottom left hand of Luang Pu Sanit’s photograph) is made from plaster with a ring of Luang Phor Sub, Wat Taluk, Chai Nat. This is the most fake and cited type.

5. The small cast iron tortoise of size 3 inches (bottom right hand of Luang Pu Sanit’s photograph) is a factory casting from Ma Sai, Tak province, given to Luang Pu Sanit by one of his grandnephew. It is purely for display only.

Finally, his venerable advised believers to “use your discretion when considering carved stone turtles in order not to become a victim to a group of people who are disguising those fake objects as sacred objects from Luang Pu Sanit.”

In these two articles we have introduced you to Luang Pu Sanit’s Phaya Jolakhe and Phaya Tao and in our next article we will introduce you to more Luang Pu Sanit’s amulets whereby his Venerable combined the two charms into one. So stay tuned.

There are many Thai myths, legends and folklores about crocodile spirits running back many centuries. The most popular is that of Nai Kraithong subduing the great crocodile spirit Phaya Chalawan. This myth originated from Phitchit during the end of the Khodtabang Thewarat Dynasty around 1800 AD.

The statues of Phaya Chalawan in both human and crocodile forms are found all over the Kingdom of Thailand especially in Phichit province.Belief in Phaya Jolakhe can be traced back to time immemorial. Magic and charm in relation thereto are also deeply entrenched in Thai culture. There are many Thai temples that make statues and amulets of Phaya Jolakhe but the most acclaimed came from Nakhon Nayok.

The Great Grandmaster of Crocodile Charm

Phrakru Worawet Niwit also known as Luang Pu Sanit Sintharo , Nakhon Nayok, was born in the year 2468. He was ordained as a monk at the age of 22 and took special interests in occultism and astrology. In year 2496, that was 6 years after his ordination, Phra Sintharo, as his Venerable was then known, was officially accepted as a disciple of Luang Pu Daam of Wat Kut, a highly regarded master in the art of animalistic charm, mysticism, and astrology.

After completing his learning in Wat Kut, he was instructed by Luang Pu Daam to travel to Changwat Prachin Buri to learn the ancient crocodile charm from a famous guru monk Phra Ajarn Seng of Wat Santhree. Luang Pu Sanit also learned traditional medicine from Pkrakru Uthai Thammathari (Luang Por Di Suriyawong Sawatdee) of Wat Thao U Thong, Prachin Buri Province, and other ancient magical charms from Luang Phor Thongdam of Wat Khok Mo, Nakhon Sawan Province.

Phaya Jolakhe First Batch

Luang Pu Sanit mastered the knowledge and merged his learning into a powerful art that he used to create his two iconic amulets, namely Phaya Jolakhe and Phaya Tao. Luang Pu Sanit made the first batch of Phaya Jolakhe from black lead around year 2508. This batch of Phaya Jolakhe was consecrated for seven years from year 2509 to 2516 using the ancient methods imparted by Luang Pu Seng before the 7,999 pieces were made available to believers during Luang Pu Seng’s funeral.

Wearing this batch of Phaya Jolakhe bestow on believers as follows:

1. A great power against dangers;

2. Protection against evil spirits; and

3. Dispel charms cast by others.

Police Model

Following the release of the first batch of Phaya Jolakhe in 2516, a group of civil servants and police officers have requested Luang Pu Sanit to make them a batch of Phaya Jolakhe which came to be known as the Police Model. The Phaya Jolakhe Police Model was miniature gold crocodiles with a silver arrow on their backs made and consecrated for three years from 2516 to 2519. A total of 89,499 pieces were created.

Full Moon Model

Another batch of Phaya Jolakhe was made in 2528. It was a bigger version of the Phaya Jolakhe Police Model which came to be known as Full Moon Model or Phim Dwongchankan. This model was made from alms bowl and underwent a stringent consecration process lasting five years. Luang Pu Sanit specially added a charm on each full moon night beginning year 2528 throughout the five years and, therefore, this version of Phaya Jolakhe is also called Phim Dwongchankan, the full moon. The five years consecration process came to a closure on February 21, 2533 when the Phuttaphisek ritual was conducted.

This version of Phaya Jolakhe is special compared to other models because this batch contains a charm leading to the ancient root of crocodiles where the most mysterious powers lay. The power is unthinkable and is said to even surpass that of Phra Trimulathit. During the monthly full moon night, Luang Pu Sanit summoned the Angel of Weapon Theap Tri Petch Surakan as the teeth; the jewels of Chakra as the nails; the diamond sceptre as the backbone; Phaya Anan the Nakarak as its tail; and the arrow of Vishnu directed its back. Thus, Phaya Jolakhe Phim Dwongchankan has power over the sky and the three realms.

Last Model

The last batch of Phaya Jolakhe known in Thai as Phaya Jolakhe Loon Sukthai was made in 2540. This batch came in a pair of gold and silver coated meant specifically for attracting wealth and good luck. They went through two years of consecration and were released when the Great Grandmaster of Crocodile Charm, Luang Pu Sanit, entered nirvana on March 14, 2542 at age 74 years, after serving a total of 51 years of monkhood. His Venerable’s body lay in the temple’s main hall for public prayers for two years and was cremated on March 18, 2544.

We have introduced you to the four batches of Phaya Jolakhe made and consecrated by Luang Pu Sanit. The processes were cumbersome and tedious. These, according to the temple, were reasons why each batch of statues and amulets originating from Wat Lam Bua Loi are always expensive. Meanwhile, it is worth taking note that the amulets and statues made and consecrated by Luang Pu Sanit are so highly sought that many fake objects were claimed to have came from his Venerable so much so that in year 2561, the current abbot of Wat Lam Bua Loi, Phrakru Pradit Anutaro has to publicly denounce those fake statues and amulets…… In our following article, we will be introducing you to Luang Pu Sanit’s Phaya Tao and other amulets in which the Grandmaster combined both Phaya Jolakhe and Phaya Tao together. So stay tuned.