Ingredients used to make Phra Somdej

The material that used to make Phra Somdej were from 28 auspicious ingredients from
 natural sources. 12 materials were used as the main ingredient where as the remaining 
materials are muan san which were mixed into the main ingredient.

The 12 kinds of main ingredient are:

1. Clay
2. Alumina rich clay
3. Cooked rice or flour
4. Banana or jackfruit
5. Flower, rhizome, stem and leaf of Whan
6. Flower used to offer sacrifice to Phra, pollen and stalk of leaf.
7. Lead and other metals
8. Candle, auspicious candle, candle tear
9. Raw-burned fan palm leaf
10. Courses and dessert
11. Raw cooked shell rock
12. Resin for boat filling or rubber oil

The remaining material to act as muan san are

1. Krittiyakom or somdej powder
2. Joss stick powder, ash and charcoal
3. Pollen powder
4. Klai Saema powder
5. Klai Sao Taloong of white elephant kratom powder
6. Gold and silver sand powder
7. Gold and silver file powder
8. Mineral ore precious stone powder
9. Colour rock powder from An Hui city, Kuang xi, China (jade, turquoise)
10. Fragrant rice powder
11. Dried up cement powder
12. Radioactive meteorite powder (Mhet pa tan)
13. Casted Khamin Plai powder
14. Gold and silver peg powder
15. Powder of broken Phra Somkor
16. Powder of broken Phra Somdej

There were some other things like small pieces of jeeworn, hair, chewed betel nut, 
Phra That etc.

Place of making and keeping Phra Somdej

Phra Somdej Wat Rakang had been made continuously in 3 ages and 4 periods of king as follow:

Early age were made using the skill of village craftsmen during the period of King Rama II and III 
2352-2393 BE for 41 years in total.

Middle age were made sing the skill of Sib Moo craftsmen during the period of King Rama IV 
2393-2407 BE for 14 years in total.

Last age were made using the skill of royal craftsmen during the period of King Rama IV and V
 2407-2415 BE for 8 years in total.

Phra Wat Keat Chai Yo, Angthong were made 3 times in 3 periods. The first time was made at 
Wat Rakang and kept at Wat Keat Chai Yo in 2393 BE.

The second time was made at Wat Rakang and kept at Wat Keat Chai Yo to replace the missing
 Phra Somdej which was stolen because the chamber broke down.

The third time was made at Wat RaKang and kept at Wat Keat Chai Yo to replace the missing 
Phra Somdej which was stolen by burglar who dug into the chamber

Since there are 3 stuffs, 3 types and 3 aging, when the chamber was reopened, some Sians Pak
were confused, Not certain and condemned all fake.

Phra Somdej from the Chamber of Wat Bang Khun Phrom Mai Amatarot were made using the skill 
of village craftsmen, Sib Moo craftsmen, royal craftsmen and put together on the religious ceremony 
of Thanakosate family held by Samien Traduang Thanakosate in 2413 BE. Somdej Tho presented
 as the chairman of the monks and put various Pim of Phra Somdej in the chamber. When Marshal
 Praphat Charusatien present as the chairman of the reopening ceremony on 28th Nov 2500 BE,
 only more than 2500 out of 84000 Phra Somdej were found.Before that, burglars dug and stole the
 Phra Somdej out are called “Phra Kru Kao”. There is no logo of the temple on the back because they 
came out before the formal reopening time. Those with logo of Wat Mai Amatarot on the back are 
called “Phra Kru Mai”

Phra Song Klong is Phra Somdej Bang Khun Phrom which has been brought from Wat Rakang
 to fulfill the required number of 84000 Somdej.

Phra Song Klong can be notice by:

1. Pim, stuff and muan san is the same as Wat Rakang.
2. The existing gold foil on the front side either with Kru’ stain over gold foil or gold foil over 
   Kru’s stain.

The making of Phra Somdej Wat Rakang

Phra Somdej Wat Rakang was made for the first time in 2352 BE during the period of King Rama II. They were grouped in the early age. The Pim and Song were made with the skill of village craftsmen.

The following Pim were found:

1. Pim Chai Jeeworn
2. Pim Yai
3. Pim Than Sen
4. Pim Keat Bua Toom
5. Pim Prok Pho

Since Pim Chai Jeeworn of last age made by using the skill of royal craftsmen is big, Tri-yumpawai called it “ Phra Pm Ya”

The former Phra Pm Yi wa made in eChedi shape in the early age. Later the royal craftsmen of last age made it in smaller size, so Tri-Yumpawai called it Pim Chendi until present.

Phra Somdej Wat Rakang were made continuously during the early age until 2393 BE which is the end of King Rama III period.

Later in the middle age, King Rama IV period from 2393 BE onward, Sib Moo craftsmen from Wang Na and Wang Luang took over to create task. The forms of Phra Somdej were then changed, such  as:

Later in the last age, during the period of King Rama IV and V around 2407-2415 BE, royal craftsmen started crafting molds for Phra Somdej at Wat Rakang. Especially Luang Wicharnchiaranai had contributed major role in crafting many molds of 5 Pim of Phra Somdej. It is estimated that around 100 molds were created by him.

For example:

Within each group of 5 pim, they were further subdivided into many other sub groups. For example the pim yai can be subdivided into :

1. 4 subgroups under pim yai ok V
2. 4 subgroups under pim yai ok Phai
3. 4 subgroups under pim yai ok Krabok
4. 4 subgroups under pim yai ok Jeeworn Sangkhati
5. 4 subgroups under pim yai ok Rong
6. 4 subgroups under pim yai ok Ban

In total, only in pim yai group, there are more than 20 other popular pim with different chest style.

Apart from pim yai group, royal craftsmen also made other molds in pim chendi, than sen, keat bua toom, phrok pho. In total, about hundred mold were crafted by Luang Wicharnchiaranai only.

Somdej Phra Buddhacharn Tho Phromrangsi

Somdej Phra Buddhacharn Tho Phromrangsi was born on 17Th April 2331 BE at Angthong Chaiyo.
 His father is Chaofah Krommakhun Issarasoonthorn. His mother is Ngut Baan Kamphaengphet lived 
at Kaichon Ayutthaya. When he was 12 years old, the royal palace adopted and made him a novice at
 wat Intarawiharn, Bang Khun Phrom, Bangkok. He entered monkhood at Wat Phra Sri Rattana
 Satsadaram when he was going to be 21 yrs old. King Rama I announced him to be royal naga and
 sent him to keep within a monastery at Wat Rakang kosittaram in 2350 BE. Here, he started to make
 the first batch of Phra Somdej Wat Rakang in 2352 BE which is classified to be Phra Somdej of early 
age using the skill of village craftsmen lived in Bannchanglor area close to Wat Rakang.

Somdej Tho started making Phra Somdej of early age using the skilled village craftsmen during the
 period of King Rama 2 and King Rama 3 in 2353-2393 BE. By the end of King Rama 3 period, the age
 of village craftsmen also ended.

Phra Somdej made with the skill of the village craftsmen is not so beautiful. It is noticeable that the arch
 is not well aligned and irregular like vine, the body of the buddha image is short, incline and not so nice
 looking. The base are the only lines in stair step pattern. The stuff is rough, fragile and cracks are 
always found all over. This is due to the stuff was made from main stuff mixed with many kind of
 auspicious materials. There are 12 main stuffs. Sians oftenly call the pim of this age the “Pim Talok”. 
Some sians even condemn them as fake no matter how genuine they are.

Somdej Tho made Phra somdej of middle age, second age, during the period of king Rama 4 with
 the skill of Sib moo craftsmen from Wang Na, Wang Lang and Wang luang. Because of the better
 skill of these craftsmen, the form of Phra Somdej had been changed and became more beautiful
 than those early stage.

By adding cement powder called “porcelain” cement, the strength of the stuff had been improved.
These craftsmen also used thuak, chak, rak and namthong as paint which could protect the stuff
 from cracking for over the years. After rak, thong, thuak and chakon the surface went off, the surface
 start to crack into many patterns such as Nga, Sangkhalok, Khai Prot and nang charakae. These
 patterns looks nice unlike the early batch.

 

 

 

Phra Somdej of last age were made during the late period of King Rama 4 till early period of
King Rama 5 ard 2407-2415 BE using the skill of royal craftsmen.

Royal craftsmen are those with supreme skill from wang Na and Wang Lang. They were recruited 
as personal craftsmen serving only King Rama 4 and 5. 2 highly skilled craftsmens, Luang
Wicharnchiaranai and luang Wichinarumon  had crafted many molds of Phra somdej. Especially
Luang Wicharnchiaranai.

Krittiyakom powder

Krittiyakom powder is a small particle hardly to be see with bare eyes. 
You need a magnifying glass with more than 10 times the power to see it. It is a amber
 white in colour like human teeth scattered all over the place.

Somdej powder consists of 5 kinds of powder mixed together. 
They are Ittajae, Tri-ni-singhae, Patamang, Maharat and Buddhakhun.

Ittajae is useful in terms of compassion and charm. People will love and fascinate. 
Business connection will be good.

Tri-ni-singhae is useful in term of ability to escape from disaster both when stay home or 
on journey.

Patamang is useful in term of toughness, bullet, knife and teeth cannot do any harm to skin,
 business will never make loss.

Maharat is useful in term of power, being great, being afraid by enemies and those
 think badly, boss can control subordinates easily.

Buddhakhun is useful in term of intelligence, cleanliness, transparent which progress and
 happiness.

It is well known that these 5 kinds of merit powder could not mix together and preferred to
 use only one kind at a time otherwise it could cause the one who did that losing his mind
 or gone crazy. Somdej Phra Buddhacharn Tho Phromrangsi is the only one in the world
 who can mixed all 5.

The process of making Somdej powder

Step 1 : He brought pure white alumina rich clay from Lop Buri. he screened out all other 
alternate material, mix with lustral water, sculptured the clay into cylinder shape and cut 
into rods. When the clay was about to dry, he sliced it and dried it under the sun.

Step 2: He grinded the clay into powder and collected the fine powder and dried again in the
 sun. the well dried fine powder was then poured equally into 5 bart (monk’s bowl).

Step 3: The powder in each bart was used to make the 5 magic powder

Step 4: He then mixed the 5 powder in one big bart while casting 5 magic verses. It takes
 a lot of concentration to do it, if something went wrong, the caster will lose his mind.

Step 5: Tops of the following auspicious plants were collected: Tamlueng, Sutsawat,
 Rak Son (including the flower), Kalong, Thongphunchang, Ratchaphruek,
 Chaiyaphruek, Kra-tranao, Baingern, Baithong, Bainak and some others. They were
 pounded, casted with magic verse and mixed with lustral water from 7 wells having 7 taste 
and 7 colours. Only water was squeezed out and mixed with the powder in the big bart. 
The mixture was then sculptured to be chalk used for cabalistic writing called Mahachai
pencil.

Step 6: he used the Mahachai pencil to draw cabalistic writing on the blackboard, erased the 
writing out, collected the dust, mixed the dust with the same water and repeat 108 times. 
Finally, the dust of Mahachai pencil which contain resin from top of the plants stick together
 and form amber white coloured round shape particles. These particles are very tenacious
 and called “somdej powder”.

Step 7: He poured the Krittyakom powder into brt and casted the 5 important verse for a 
long time daily until he was certain that it was perfectly potent. Then the powder was used 
as the important Muan San for mixing with others to make Phra Somdej.