Chapter 6: The Provenance of Luang Pu Mun's Bone and Tooth Relics: From the 1950 Cremation to the Secret Marble Urn of Kuti Jongjit 1
Chapter 6: Provenance of Luang Pu Mun's Relics: The forgotten 1942 tooth, the 1950 partition receipt No. 7, and the secret marble urn of Kuti Jongjit 1.
The Forgotten Tooth: A Hasty Departure (1942 CE / B.E. 2485)
The remarkable provenance of the sacred molar tooth (Thantha Dhatu) of Phra Acharn Mun Phuritatto preserved at Wat Chedi Luang began with a poignant human accident in 1942 (B.E. 2485). As Luang Pu Mun prepared to conclude his eleven-year northern sojourn and return to Isan, he gifted one of his molars to his personal attendant, Phra On-see Sumano (later Phra Khru Silakhandhasangwon of Wat Phra Ngam Sri Mongkol, Nong Khai).
However, amidst the hurried packing of robes and traveling gear to escort the master south, Phra On-see inadvertently left the molar behind on the altar shelf of his cell at Wat Chedi Luang. Phra Palat Ket Wannako, residing in the adjacent quarters, discovered the tooth and reverently enshrined it, unwittingly initiating a fifty-year chain of sacred custody.
The Partition of Relics at Wat Pa Suthawat (2 February 1950 CE)
Following the royal cremation of Luang Pu Mun's physical form at Wat Pa Suthawat in Sakon Nakhon on 31 January 1950, his calcined bone fragments began their celebrated metamorphosis into crystalline relics (Phra Dhatu). On 2 February 1950 (B.E. 2493), a high monastic committee chaired by Phra Dhamma Chedi (Joom Phanthulo), Phra Acharn Singh Khantyakhamo, and Phra Acharn Thet Thet-rangsi formally partitioned the relics among monasteries representing over 20 provinces.
In the official archival register, Northern Thailand was represented by only two signatories:
- Allotment No. 7: Signed and received by Phra Palat Ket Wannako on behalf of Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai.
- Allotment No. 8: Signed and received by Phra Palat Thongsuk Dhammagutto on behalf of Wat Nong Du, Lamphun.
Phra Palat Ket — distinguished as the only disciple in history for whom Luang Pu Mun had personally acted as Preceptor (Upajjhaya) during his 1932 ordination — transported Allotment No. 7 back to Chiang Mai, reuniting the bone fragments with the forgotten molar tooth.
The Secret Marble Urn in Kuti Jongjit 1
Serving as the discreet treasurer (Bhandhagarik) of Wat Chedi Luang, Phra Palat Ket resided in Kuti Jongjit 1. He placed the relics inside two antique urns resting atop a modest wooden filing cabinet in his sleeping quarters:
- The Teakwood Urn: Contained four small bone relics and four bean-sized fragments (transferred in 1988 to a glass vessel after mice gnawed the carved wooden finial).
- The White Marble Urn: Contained the molar tooth, several immaculate white bone fragments, and a curious polished black rectangular stone (2 cm x 1 cm) swaddled in antique saffron cloth and raw cotton.
When Phra Palat Ket passed away on 2 July 1969 (B.E. 2512), the secret of the urns died with him. For over three decades, successive generations of monks passed the dust-laden cabinet, unaware that the supreme spiritual legacy of the Forest Tradition was concealed within.
The 2001 Rediscovery and Public Revelation
The veil was lifted in January 2001 (B.E. 2544) when Phra Khru Sophon Kawiwat read the treatise Army of Dhamma: The Vipassana Lineage. Page 37 featured a photograph of the very urns with an explicit caption: "The relics and molar tooth of Phra Acharn Mun... preserved by Phra Ket Wannako at Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai."
Recognizing the description, Phra Khru Sophon Kawiwat rushed to Kuti Jongjit 1, located the forgotten marble urn atop the cabinet, and lifted the lid. Within lay the pristine white molar tooth and bone fragments, which had transformed into sparkling, translucent crystalline jewels (Phra Dhatu). On 8 January 2001, journalists from Thai News confirmed the discovery, unleashing a tidal wave of public reverence.
Further research revealed auxiliary fragments preserved by other disciples: two relics kept by Phra Khru Sukhum Bunyawat within a Phra Bua Khem image at Wat Lanna Nyanasamwararam, and an additional fragment preserved by Nai Thongsuk Bunyamati, former deputy district officer of Mae Taeng, who formally surrendered his relic to the Abbot of Wat Chedi Luang on 7 January 2002. These sacred elements were subsequently unified within the golden Busabok of Vihara Buraphachan, securing Wat Chedi Luang's stature as the northern citadel of the Forest Tradition.
