Revered Monk Luang Por Cho and His First-Edition Amulet

Luang Por Cho Pannya Thepo of Wat Khok Ket Bunyangsiri in Plai Phong Pang subdistrict, Amphawa district, Samut Songkhram province, was a revered Buddhist elder descended from the Dhamma lineage of Luang Por Choom of Wat Kuti and Luang Por Sod of Wat Pak Nam Phasi Charoen. Originally named Cho Mussa and a native of Phetchaburi, he was born on 7 March 1917 and ordained at age 22 on 28 April 1939 at Wat Kuti in Phetchaburi, receiving the monastic name Pannya Thepo. After studying Buddhist disciplines and meditation under Luang Por Choom, he traveled to study further with Luang Por Sod. In 1952, when the previous abbot passed away, he was appointed to lead Wat Khok Ket, which at that time was a small temple with a decaying wooden ordination hall frequently flooded annually. Known as a builder monk, Luang Por Cho elevated the temple grounds above the flood line and constructed a four-sided, two-story ordination hall starting in 1976 at a cost exceeding three million baht, raised entirely through the faith and donations of Buddhists. He also established Wat Ban Kluay in Khao Yoi, Phetchaburi. In 1969, he was elevated to the rank of Phra Kru Sangwaran Anuyok. He presided over the temple peacefully until his death on 15 May 2008 at age 91 with 69 years of monastic life. He created numerous sacred amulets and religious objects highly revered especially throughout Amphawa. His most famous work was his first-edition coin amulet cast in 1970 as a memorial to those who donated toward the construction of the temple buildings, made entirely of copper and available in two finishes: gold-plated and blackened.