Luang Pu Tho, Paper Banknote Amulet

Commemorative issue

? Golden Jubilee of Bhumibol Adulyadej?

Obverse

A sculpture of Luang Pu Toh, Phra Rajsangwornbhimon, who died in 1682. Additionally, an oval image of Rama V and also an oval representation of a mythical figure. A value of 1000 in Thai and Latin

Scripts: Latin, Thai

Reverse

An image of Rama IX with a monk, 8 small images of sculptures of seated monks. Beneath the image of a gate, the Thai inscription reads: Pratu Chumphor, referring to the Chumphor Gate in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat). The origin of this amulet can be traced back to Korat, as the depiction of the female figure on the back shows Thao Suranari, a local heroine of Korat.
Why does the year 1996 suddenly appear on the 500 and 1000 Baht banknotes? At first, I suspected it was related to the Golden Jubilee of Rama IX (who is also depicted on all three banknotes), but I've now found another explanation. I quote Wikipedia:
"Laotian historians have long questioned the historical accuracy of the portrayal of Thao Suranari's role prevalent in Thailand. However, in 1995, Saipin Kaewngamprasert, a Thai history student at Thammasat University, wrote her master's thesis entitled 'The Images of Thao Suranari in Thai History' (later published as a book titled 'The Politics of the Thao Suranari Monument'). In it, she critically examined the heroization of the figure.

According to her account, the nationalist ideologues of the 1930s transformed a mere local heroine into a national cult figure." The historically insignificant figure was chosen and glorified for political reasons. According to Saipin, the political exigencies following the People's Party's rise to power and the suppression of the royalist Boworadet Rebellion in October 1934 shaped the historical portrayal of Thao Suranari's role in suppressing Jao ​​Anouvong's Laotian uprising of 1826. The political calculation behind the erection of the monument and the promotion of the Suranari cult was to secure the loyalty of the people of Korat.

Thai nationalists and Korat residents who revered Thao Suranari reacted angrily. Many were misinformed and believed that Saipin had claimed Thao Suranari had never existed. In March 1996, a protest march of 50,000 people took place in Korat. Ultimately, the book was banned in Thailand.

The text above the year 2539 reads:

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! YA MO
goes to war, a spell
to defeat the enemy and the
demons
Thao Suranari
Grandmother Mo
2539

Scripts: Latin, Thai

See also

• Education

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Numista Rarity index: 95

This index is based on the data of Numista members collections. It ranges from 0 to 100, 0 meaning a very common coin or banknote and 100 meaning a rare coin or banknote among Numista members.

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