There are basically four types of magical Thai amulet within the Thai
culture. The term to describe these Thai amulets as a whole is
khawng-khlang, which may be translated as 'sacred, potent materials. '
The first type will be the khruang-rang, which means material substances
transformed into stone or copper. These Thai amulets will protect
people should they are held in the mouth or on the body. They include
khot, which might be stones found in nature such as stone eggs or
meteoric ores and various kinds of seeds found in jack-fruit as well as
tamarind plants. These amulets utilized mostly by poor people, simply
depend upon being found freely rather than having to be bought.
The
other type of Thai Amulet would be the phra-khruang, which are small
statues or figurines in the Buddha which also protect the individual or,
if larger, a family group. These Thai amulet may be cast from a mould
or else be in the form of a votive tablet. These may be used to complete
a vow : i. e. to thank the Buddha to get a blessing - or else being a
talismans carried around the neck.
The third type would
be the khruang-pluk-sek. Pluk-sek means 'to arouse the potency of a
person or object by way of a spell or incantation' so a khruang-pluk-sek
can be a more powerful form of Thai amulet. Most of the spells used are
incantations dependant on ancient Sanskrit verses - Sanskrit is known
as Pali in Thailand. In the event the spells call for being written
down, the Khmer (Cambodian) alphabet can be used rather than Thai which
is not accepted as suitable for magic. Khmer characters are believed to
have runic qualities. The takrut can be a long, hollow cylinder produced
from metal which has handed down through many stages of magical
arousal. They are worn round the neck either singly or together with a
suitable number of other takrut, perhaps a total of three, five or maybe
seven. A salika (mynah bird) can be a tiny takrut that may be kept
between the teeth all of which will allow the user to become a very
persuasive talker. In the same way in Malayan cultures, there are various types of magical item in this class
which can bestow various benefits on the user. Many of these items are
derived from tantric beliefs and practices.
The
fourth type of Thai Amulet would be the wan ya - using certain plants
and roots to create folk medicines to attempt to combat disease and the
actions of phi - spirits. Many people, especially in rural villages
believe that illness and misfortunes of most sorts may be related to the
actions of nasty spirits. Fortunately, local shamans are able to combat
these spirits with wan ya, which they can search for in the
encompassing forests and mountains.
http://special-thailand-amulets.blogspot.com
