Strange Banana Tree at Shrine Draws Lottery Hopefuls
A bizarre banana tree growing a bunch from its trunk at a Ratchaburi shrine has attracted crowds seeking lucky lottery numbers. Villagers count the banana hands and read the oddly curved flower bud as numerical signs, fueling a flurry of bets for the upcoming draw.
On November 14, 2026, reporters found a Nam Wa banana tree growing a bunch from the center of its trunk beside the Yai Doi Shrine in Moo 6, Bang Ton Don subdistrict, Photharam district, Ratchaburi. The flower bud had curved back and pierced the trunk again, astonishing residents. Word spread quickly, drawing crowds who counted the banana hands — counts varied between 17 and 18 — while the recurved bud was read as the number 0. Incense burning yielded the number 753 for lottery bets. Seventy-four-year-old Boonkham Taengmo recounted the shrine's history: originally a small wooden structure with a thatched roof elsewhere, it was moved and rebuilt with a tiled roof after a visitor won the lottery. People regularly visit to pray for fortune, offering items like incense, boiled eggs, and Thai costumes when wishes are granted. Boonkham counted 17 hands herself, calling the phenomenon rare. Another villager, who passes daily, said she had never seen such growth and counted 18 hands, interpreting the recurved bud as 801 for lottery play.
