Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
JATUKHAM RAMMATHEP
If you've spent more than 24 hours in Thailand, you've probably seen a Jatukham Rammathep dangling around
someone's neck - these round amulets are everywhere.
The bearers of the Jatukham Rammathep are supposed to have good fortune and protection from any harm.
The origin of the amulet's name remains a mystery, although a popular theory suggests that Jatukham and Ram-
mathep were the aliases of two Srivajayan princes who buried relics under Nakhon's Wat Phra Mahathat some
1000 years ago.
A notorious Thai police detective first wore the precious icon, and firmly believed the guardian spirits helped
him solve a particularly difficult murder case. He tried to popularise the amulet, but it wasn't a market success
until his death in 2006. Thousands of people attended his funeral, including the crown prince, and the Jatukham
Rammathep took off.
The talismans are commissioned at Wat Phra Mahathat, and in the last several years southern Thailand has
seen a spike in economic activity. The first amulet was sold in 1987 for 39B, and today over 100 million baht are
spent on the town's amulets every
week
. The desire for these round icons has become so frenzied that a woman
was crushed to death on the temple grounds during a widely publicised discount sale (she was not wearing her
talisman).
Every day, trucks drive along Nakhon's main roads blaring loud music to promote new shipments. These
thumping beats have started to shake the ground beneath the temple, and the repeated hammering has, in an iron-
ic metaphor, bent the main spire of Wat Phra Mahathat.
Sleeping & Eating
Nakhon is a great place to sample cuisine with a distinctive southern twist. In the even-
ing, Muslim food stands sell delicious
kôw mòk gài
(chicken
biryani
),
má·đà·bà
(
murdabag;
Indian pancake stuffed with chicken or vegetables) and roti. A good hunting
ground is along Th Neramit, which turns into Th Pak Nakhon - the street bustles with
food stalls every night.
Thai Hotel
( 0 7534 1509; fax 0 7534 4858; 1375 Th Ratchadamnoen; fan/air-con r 350/500B; )
Thai Hotel is the
most central sleeping spot in town. The lobby is musty, the walls are thin, but the rooms
are clean, freshly painted and a good deal for the price. Each room has a TV and the
higher floors have good views of the urban bustle.
HOTEL
$
Nakorn Garden Inn
( 0 7532 3777; 1/4 Th Pak Nakhon; r 450B; )
With all the foliage, this place feels more like
a shady jungle than its location in the centre of town. All rooms have air-con, TV, hot wa-
ter, fridge, tiled floors and bamboo-plaited walls, although most are quite dark and a little
musty. It's a nice change from a cement block, though, a good deal and friendly.
HOTEL
$
