Revered Monk Luang Pho Chum Remembered in Large Bronze Statue
A revered Buddhist scholar and abbot of Wat Rajkham in Ratchaburi, Luang Pho Chum (1879-1955) is now honored with a full-size bronze statue commissioned by his disciples. The respected monk was known for his teaching, monastery restoration,
Luang Pho Chum Buddhatsaro of Wat Rajkham in Mueang District, Ratchaburi, was a highly respected Buddhist scholar and teacher known throughout the province. He possessed diverse knowledge and wisdom, serving as a preceptor, teacher, and administrator, and was dedicated to serving all people. Born on June 26, 1879, in Khung Nam Wan Subdistrict to parents named Thoum and Lamyai Klintheprakes, he was taken at age nine to study Khmer and Thai texts with Luang Poo Toh at Wat Rajkham. At sixteen, he was ordained as a novice and received full monastic ordination at age twenty on May 1, 1898, at Wat Tha Suwan, taking the Pali name Buddhatsaro under the preceptorship of Phra Ajan Phu.
After Phra Ajan Phu's death in 1905, Luang Pho Chum became abbot of Wat Rajkham and devoted himself to maintaining and restoring the monastery's physical structures and promoting Buddhist studies. He also established Chum Prachanukul School for local children. He received several ecclesiastical appointments, including recognition as a preceptor in 1924 and later as a respected senior monk. He was skilled in traditional medicine and the practice of blessing sacred water and objects, earning widespread fame throughout the region.
Luang Pho Chum regularly undertook missionary journeys to study advanced practices, sometimes traveling to Burma and visiting Wat Makham Tao in Chainat Province around 1903, where he studied esoteric teachings from Luang Poo Suk. He developed a lasting friendship with Luang Pho Rung of Wat Tha Krabio. He eventually fell ill in his final years and passed away peacefully on November 16, 1955, at age seventy-seven in the monastic order, with his cremation held on March 24, 1956.
Luang Pho Chum created various sacred objects highly valued by devotees, including blessed cloths, amulets, and rings. Most notably, his disciples commissioned a full-size bronze statue in his honor, with casting beginning in 1897. Small one-inch statuettes were created as commemorative gifts for donors, with 1,110 bronze figures cast using brass and copper bases.
