Product: Phra Kaew Marakot (The Emerald Buddha)
Origin: Unknown
Period: Unknown (Old)
Material: Mixture of holy powder and herbs
Enclose Casing (Color): Clear Acrylics
Size (approx): 34.5 mmW x 53.4 mmH x 11.2 mmT (Amulet + Case)
Benefits: The Thai people hold Phra Kaeo Morakot in deep reverence, believing that it has the power to grant wishes. This sacred Buddha amulet is also known to bring success, growth, and prosperity to those who venerate it.
The History of Phra Kaew Morakot (The Emerald Buddha)
The Emerald Buddha’s legend traces back to 43 BC in India, where it was created by the monk Nagasena in Pataliputra (modern-day Patna). After three centuries, the statue was moved to Sri Lanka for safekeeping during a civil war.
In 457 AD, King Anuruth of Burma sent a mission to Ceylon to request the Emerald Buddha and Buddhist scriptures. The ship, however, was diverted by a storm and landed in Cambodia.
In 1432, after Thai forces captured Angkor Wat, the Emerald Buddha was taken to Ayutthaya, then through Kamphaeng Phet and Laos, eventually reaching Chiang Rai, where it was hidden. Cambodian historians recorded this event in the Preah Ko Preah Keo legend. Some art historians suggest it originated in the 15th-century Chiang Saen Style, indicating a Lanna Thai origin.
The statue was rediscovered in 1434 when a lightning strike revealed it beneath a pagoda in Chiang Rai. Initially thought to be made of emerald, it became known as the Emerald Buddha. King Sam Fang Kaen of Lanna sought to bring it to Chiang Mai, but the elephant carrying it refused to go there and instead took it to Lampang, a sign the locals interpreted as divine. The statue remained in Lampang until 1468, when it was moved to Chiang Mai and enshrined at Wat Chedi Luang.
In 1552, the Emerald Buddha was taken to Luang Prabang in Laos by King Setthathirath. In 1564, he moved it to Vientiane, his new capital. In 1779, Thai General Chao Phraya Chakri captured Vientiane and brought the statue back to Siam. After becoming King Rama I, he moved the Emerald Buddha to its current home at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok on March 22, 1784, where it now resides in the Ubosoth.
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