Note: I have visited many Siam temples in Kedah here as well as some in Thailand, you can see them all in forum thread by follow the link here (required login), but previously i take photo using DC, this is the recent visit with photo taken using DSLR camera, which is the reason why i post in this photography blog.
Today introduce another great temple and powerful monk from Perlis, which is Wat Padang Jelutong aka Samnaksong Thong Tong, abbot by Archan Narung. Archan Narung, 48 years old, he looks like chinese but he is originally from Sakorn, Thailand. He is perhaps another talented monk in Malaysia because he specialized in many disciplines, i'll tell it later.
To go to this temple, just drive heading to Chuping, you can see many road sign of Chuping along the way start from Kangar, Perlis, because Guar Chuping it is the area of recreation. You will pass through Wat Guar Musang on your right, keep going and after you saw a big cement factory on your left, turn right to go into a road exactly opposite it, then just drive about 2KM you will notice the temple signboard on your left. Unfortunately you cant get its location with GPS, so to get there you really have to work hard on it, remember what i said, you should get into the capital of Perlis which is Kangar first then from there head to Guar Chuping, then ask people where is the factory of CIMA. I actually stop few times to ask people where it is, some local chinese did pointed it out for me but i still have to try few times to get there, according to them, there are many temples in this area but Wat Thong Tong is among their favourite.
So this is Archan Narung, look like chinese but speak only in thai. He is very nice and friendly, lot of smiling on his face. Since i cant speak in thai so he get someone there to translate for me. After about 30 minutes of Q&A, i got to know that he is specialized the following:
- Fortune reading
- Floral bath
- Making amulet & takrut
- Neutralized kongtao
- House fengshui
While chatting, i ask the devotees what he is best master in, he said he cannot tell by himself what he is best of, because this is restriction, but he did give some hint on his fortune reading services. Then a devotee from Penang told me that a lot of people came to ask for floral bath, he is good at floral bath and fortune enhance. After that i let him read my fortune, very accurate i have to say, required input is your angmo DOB, he will first hit you with the most serious matter that trouble you recently and warn you for any disaster that may come in the future, and of course like other abbot, floral bath is the premiere way to get rid of bad luck and to gain some good luck. If you want to bath by him you must bring the following:
- Flower
- Candle
- Josstick
- Lime
- 9 eels fish (鳗鱼) or ikan belut
After fortune reading he go inside his room and took out a KP, he said i suite to wear KP and he want to give it to me
thats very kind of him. He said the KP is already 80 years old, from some temple in Ayutthaya, but forgotten who made it. The KP carrying 2 chickens, look very old.
The above is the takruts that he made, he show me after i said i wanna see them. Not very expensive, small 1 just RM30 and long 1 just RM100 if not mistaken. Since the communication problem, i didnt ask the function of it, i just ask the function of takrut that im interest, which is a middle long gold takrut with number of 159 on it, he said this takrut is to enhance luck. Im always the fans of takrut, and the price is just RM30, quickly rent it without any hesitation. I have to say that i like all his takrut, metta on itself already perhaps. 3 colors somdej that you can see above also made by him, RM30 each if not mistaken, created for fundraising of ubosot. They are building an ubosot, need a lot of money. The following JTK also made by him on the year of 2007.
Very nice isn't, guess how much? Just RM20! Not much left, if want fast! Just now i mentioned that i asked some chinese about the location of this temple, he told me that this temple just visited by the relative of Thai King not very long ago, so i asked Archan about it, he said they are invited for some ceremony, but i not remember what ceremony it was. I asked him why want to invite the royal member to here, he said he know them, so invited them over.
I ask if any ceremony such as wai kru or phapa for this temple, he said they got khatina each year, which fall into 30/10 this year. The following is the envelope of khatina, inside you can found a very cute mini ganesa amulet as well.
After a while of chit-chat, he took out a metta cream and give it to me
very generous Archan. Th metta cream was made of using the bee's excrement, in the other word it was made by the shit of bees, lolz, very special, produced in Cambodia, sounds very precious.
A chinese devotee who cant speak Thai was there when i get there, he is from Penang island, im surprised what drag him to here from so far away, he said he dont know, friend of him intro him to this temple and ever since then he frequently came here to help out, passionate and hardcore i have to say. After his local friend who can speak thai came, we all 3 chat together with Archan. Archan Narung is very friendly, he always concern on what im asking, so we keep troubling the other guy to translate. Archan Narung used to be a forest monk, he said he used to entered forest in the year of 2000 to learn things. He is now 48 years old, he ordained as monk when he was 28, im always curious why one want to be a monk, he said in Thailand every man has to ordain as monk once in their life, he ordained as monk in the age of 28 to return merits to his parents, then after that he started to like it, until now its been 20 years of monkhood. Earlier in this post i mentioned that he is learning something need to take 3 years time, i didnt ask what he is learning, the devotees told me that he want to achieve higher level, so i ask Archan Narung if he need to work hard on meditation to achieve higher level, he smiles and say yes but need to work triple hard because he is worry on the development progress of the ubosot. A thought was flashing in my mind suddenly, he looks alot similar with Archan Tia, both of them are talented and deditated monk, know lot of wicha magic and created takrut/amulet, etc, but still lack 1 thing, sakyant! So i ask him if he do sakyant, he said he will after 3 years when he get into that level, look like we got another sakyant alternative in northern region. He also said that in year 2013 he want to create the amulet of sivali.
While they are chatting i go to take the photo around. Not a big temple, old building structure, it needs time to rebuild it.
Main hall where AC Narung meet devotees. You can see a small amulet counter too, inside got some amulet from other temple and some made by him.
It was a cloudy and heavy raining day today, i cannot go around the area of temple to take photo. So only some photos was taken.
Ubosot under construction. Construction work started on year 2007 and now still lack of funds to continue, still need a lot of money to get that ubosot done and also need to build a kutti (monk hostel). Those who are kind hearted please come and donate to this temple.
After im done with photographing, i go inside the main hall. Archan Narung took out few boxes of amulet to show us. They are none other than the famous Phratatphanom amulets! I ask him how he get this, he said he was there and they gave it to him to help him in fundraising of Ubosot. The amulet look very genuied, this is all i can say since im not expert in authenticate the amulet of Phattapanong. Price not expensive, range from RM500 to RM300 to even RM30 each.
RM300 if not mistaken.
RM500 if not mistaken. Made by jed.
Somdej made by red and green jed, behind is real gold, forgotten the price. The amulet exactly as advertised in amulet magazine.
Some other amulets from Phattapanong.
There are still many of it, all of it were genuinely from Phattapanong, i think the price is certainly cheaper than amulet shop. If you are interest at these Phratatphanom ancient amulets, come to rent it here, all money collected goes to development of ubosot.
Wat Padang Jelutong (Samnaksong Thong Tong)
Abbot: Archan Narung
Wat Padang Jelutong, Chuping 02500, Kangar, Perlis.
Tel: 012-5781293
Note: I have visited many Siam temples in Kedah here as well as some in Thailand, you can see them all in forum thread by follow the link here (required login), but previously i take photo using DC, this is the recent visit with photo taken using DSLR camera, which is the reason why i post in this photography blog.
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