Lucky Number Frenzy: Large Snake Appears at Sacred Shrine Three Times This Year—Lottery Enthusiasts Rush to Play Numbers with '7'

A large snake has created a stir by appearing on the ancestral shrine at Kham Chanodat three times this year—unusual compared to its typical annual appearance—prompting many to believe it signals the site's major merit-making festival. On April 27, videos and images from the "Nakhon Inthon Wang" sacred site in Ban Muang Subdistrict, Ban Dung District, Udon Thani, went viral on social media, showing a large serpent coiled atop the shrine dedicated to local guardian spirits Si Sutho and Si Patum. Additionally, a massive chanodat tree toppled the same day, damaging a nearby naga statue, events many interpret as omens preceding the annual Chanodat blessing ceremony scheduled for May 1st, featuring a grand ritual to change the guardian spirits' ceremonial robes.

Local officials including Pongsakdi Srichana, subdistrict chief and Kham Chanodat committee chairman, along with Kampang Panjunpol, 59, the shrine's primary speaker, confirmed the phenomenon occurs regularly before major ceremonies. Kampang explained the snake is typically a large king cobra measuring 2-3 meters, calm and unafraid of people, appearing for weeks before departing naturally. He noted the serpent consistently appears yearly before merit-making events, leading believers to interpret it as the guardian spirits manifesting to protect devotees and the sacred site. In Buddhist and local lore, nagas possess shapeshifting abilities.

Pongsakdi disclosed the fallen tree was ancient and decayed, with weak root systems causing the collapse, which also damaged an adjacent tree and the naga statue along a walking bridge. Emergency repairs began immediately from April 27 onwards. He emphasized the incident resulted from natural causes unrelated to supernatural speculation. Meanwhile, the committee and Department of Forestry have continuously managed vegetation since 2560 (2017), initially finding 1,940 chanodat trees and planting 369 replacements in the first year; current surveys now count 2,702 trees, demonstrating successful reforestation of this sacred forest. The public is invited to the annual merit-making festival, featuring a fireworks procession on April 30 at 3:30 p.m. and the main robing ceremony on May 1 beginning at 9:00 a.m.