Rare Amulet of Legendary Khmer Monk Luang Pho Ngern Unveiled

Luang Pho Ngern Thammabanyo, the former abbot of Moli Lokayaram Temple in Bangkok's Bang Koke district, was a renowned Buddhist master. A Khmer monk born in Phnom Penh in 1853 during the reign of King Rama IV, he began studying scripture at age eight and later received full ordination. He pursued Buddhist studies at Arun Rajwararam Temple and Phra Chettuphon Temple in Bangkok, eventually receiving the ecclesiastical title Phra Kru Bannyakatawut and serving as provincial abbot.

When Thailand returned Phnom Penh to Cambodia, Luang Pho Ngern led his students to Bangkok, arriving around the same time as the venerable Luang Pho Kong. Appointed abbot of Moli Lokayaram Temple, he undertook extensive restoration of the deteriorating sanctuary and its sacred objects, constructing new monastic buildings that transformed the temple into a renowned center of Buddhist learning and practice.

Beyond his scholarly prowess, Luang Pho Ngern possessed deep knowledge of traditional medicine and earned widespread fame for treating local residents. He died peacefully in 1920 at age 68. For his fifty-fifth birthday in 1911, he commissioned the creation of amulets called the Naga Leaf Tamarind pendant, crafted from two of the three sacred gold cylindrical charms he had worn since his time in Phnom Penh. Each weighed twenty baht and was mixed with copper to strengthen the metal, giving the pendants a distinctive bronze-gold color.

Measuring approximately 0.5 centimeters wide and 1.4 centimeters tall and cast in the Lopburi Buddhist artistic style, the amulet depicts a Buddha in meditation posture sheltered by a seven-headed naga coiled into a three-tiered throne. The reverse bears four Khmer characters inscribed above and below a flat surface. The Naga Leaf Tamarind pendant has become one of the most sought-after amulets among dedicated collectors.