Rare 1972 Phra Ratcha Uthai Kawi Coin Detailed in New Report
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Luang Por Phut Sutthato, also known as Phra Ratcha Uthai Kawi, was the former ecclesiastical provincial governor of Uthai Thani and abbot of Wat Mani Sittit Kaphitharam (Wat Thung Kaeo) in Mueang District, Uthai Thani. He was a revered senior monk of the Sakae Krang river basin. Born Phut Chaeng-im on December 9, 1896, in Nong Tao Village, Thung Yai Subdistrict, he was ordained on March 6, 1915, at Wat Thung Kaeo with Phra Sunthorn Muni as his preceptor, receiving the monastic name Sutthato. In 1917, he was sent to study at Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit in Bangkok, passing the fifth level of Parian Tham examinations in 1922. During his studies, he received great kindness from Somdet Phra Wanarat (Hen Khemachari), a fellow Uthai Thani native, becoming his most trusted disciple. In 1928, he became abbot of Wat Thung Kaeo; in 1933, a preceptor; and in 1935, the ecclesiastical provincial governor of Uthai Thani. He passed away peacefully on April 24, 1990, at age 95 with 75 rains retreats.
In 1972, Luang Por An Aphipalo, abbot of Wat Thamakhok (Wat Rong Kho) and a disciple of Luang Por Phut, commissioned the 'Phra Ratcha Uthai Kawi (Phut Sutthato)' commemorative coin for the ceremony of raising the roof of the assembly hall at Wat Thamakhok. This was the fifth edition. The coin is shaped like a Bodhi leaf with a suspension loop, cast in bronze and gold-plated bronze. The obverse features a Kanok floral border surrounding a central raised relief of Luang Por Phut in half-profile, with the Thai inscription 'Phra Ratcha Uthai Kawi' along the lower rim. The reverse lacks a border and Kanok pattern; instead, it displays a central Yantra design with the Khmer syllable 'Na Maha Ud' at the innermost layer, surrounded by 'O A Ta Mo' in the second layer, 'Na Ma Pa Ta' in the third, and 'A U A' in the four cardinal directions. Above the Yantra, Thai script reads 'Souvenir for the ceremony of raising the roof of the assembly hall of Wat Thamakhok,' and below, Thai script and numerals read 'Uthai Thani 2515.' Luang Por Phut personally consecrated the coins over an entire quarter and they were not for rent; they were distributed only to laypeople attending the roof-raising ceremony. The coin is considered another rare edition because those who possess them cherish them dearly.
