An examination of the golden Buddha hair at Wat Boonchuenchu followed a controversy over 50 baht worth of gold disappearing. Ultimately, gold was found embedded in cement, causing craftsman Tong to collapse and weep.
A Facebook page named Kasa Banterng posted a video and message saying, “Heartbreaking for devotees! 50 baht of gold vanished, leaving only zinc. An elderly man shed tears after donating nearly 4 million baht, hoping to cast golden Buddha hair for the temple. In the end, a dishonest craftsman swapped the gold, leaving only pain and shattered faith.” This stirred a heated drama on social media. The sincere intention of an elderly man who collected 45 baht of gold bars, mixed with gold from the revered monk and villagers totaling 50 baht, was to cast the "golden Buddha hair" as an offering. However, the outcome was a disaster. Around 7-8 years ago during the ceremony, everyone witnessed the gold being poured into the mold, but suspicion arose when the craftsman claimed he needed to take the mold back to the factory for polishing before returning it.
The painful truth emerged today when the golden Buddha hair was inspected at the Namo Gold Shop. The results devastated the elderly man because the 50 baht of gold, worth nearly 4 million baht, had vanished. The test showed only 2% gold alloy, with the rest being zinc and copper!
In response, the revered monk prepared to gather evidence to hold the group of craftsmen accountable to the fullest extent of the law. This was not merely theft but a betrayal of the faith of Buddhists, unforgivable. Life savings donated for merit became worthless scrap metal in an instant. How would a donor feel? And what punishment should those exploiting faith for profit receive? Please share your opinions in the comments.
The latest development on 4 May at Wat Boonchuenchu, Bang Phun Subdistrict, Mueang Pathum Thani District: Phra Kru Pathum Punyo Phat, abbot of Wat Boonchuenchu, together with Phra Kru Prateep Thammaro, abbot of Wat Daoruang; Mr. Seni Munkham, former local councilor; Mr. Nakorn Kanthoulis, 69; Mr. Yutthaphon Thamrupa, village headman Off; Mr. Worapot Jittatham, 43, the craftsman; and the temple committee held a joint meeting to find a solution regarding the golden Buddha hair. After the Department of Buddhism recommended an examination, all parties agreed to dissect the Buddha hair to verify the presence of gold inside.
Subsequently, Mr. Worapot Jittatham, 43, the craftsman, cut the Buddha hair crosswise, taking about three minutes. Upon opening it, Worapot was so overjoyed he fell backward when he saw pieces of gold inside, attached to the cement and slightly protruding. He then used tools to chip away the cement until all was removed and the gold material was revealed near the tip of the Buddha hair.
Mr. Worapot Jittatham, known as craftsman Tong, 43, tearfully said, “I watched the Buddha hair closely through various media, observing every detail and mark. I was almost going crazy because I had no idea who had handled the Buddha hair in the past 10 years. The hair was not with me during that time, but now I must take responsibility for the gold inside. If it was not there, I would be in jail. What about my children? I had to cut it open. Everyone said it must still have gold, and I believed it would. I looked at it every day to confirm it was the original because I have made hundreds or thousands of such hairs. I studied the marks until I was confident it was the same one and that gold had to be inside.”
Phra Kru Pathum Punyo Phat, abbot of Wat Boonchuenchu, said, “I am confident as craftsman Tong said, but I am deeply disappointed because it feels like we disrespected something sacred. We wanted to do the right thing, and I had no such intention. I have invested hundreds of millions in building this temple. Please understand me. However, the shop that scanned the hair caused damage to the temple’s reputation. I hope the shop will apologize or meet with me because the news has harmed the temple’s name.”
Regarding the gold, the plan is for the gold shop to bring equipment to extract it, and then further discussions will decide how to proceed. As for the Buddha hair, craftsman Tong has said he will create a new one. Details on how to proceed will be discussed further.
The abbot wished to convey to the media and those posting the news to understand that he never intended any wrongdoing. With sincere honesty, the abbot aimed to complete the temple’s construction with only good intentions and no malice whatsoever.