Nang Kwak [นางกวัก] is the goddess of fortune according to Thai traditions.

Nang Kwak (goddess of fortune)

Nang Kwak [นางกวัก] is the goddess of fortune according to Thai traditions. The statue of Nang Kwak features a woman wearing a traditional Thai costume and accessories, sitting on the floor with legs folded to one side (nung pub piab), the left hand placed on her side or her lap, and the right hand raised to shoulder level in a beckoning gesture. Believed to beckon wealth and customers, Nang Kwak can be seen at many shop fronts and business establishments in Thailand.

The origin of Nang Kwak is still shrouded in mystery. In Buddhism, it is said that Nang Kwak, whose real name was Supavadee, was a daughter of a merchant family. Supawadee listened and observed the teachings of two Buddhist monks – Phra Kassapa Thera and Phra Sivali Thera – and was blessed by them. Thanks to Supavadee’s strong faith in Buddhism, her family’s business prospered to the extent that people made and worshipped statues of Supavadee. Another legend comes from the Ramayana epic. One giant was shot by Rama’s arrow. Prachan, the giant’s daughter, came to take care of her father but was chased away by townspeople. “Pu Chao Khao Khio” (the hermit of the green hill) upon learning of Prachan’s plight sent his beautiful daughter to keep her company. Falling for the charm of the daughter, the townspeople who once despised Prachan became friends with her and brought her tributes. Prachan then named the daughter of Pu Chao Khao Khio “Nang Kwak.”

From a sociological point of view, Nang Kwak has its roots in the ancient matriarchal culture of the Thai people, which prevailed prior to the arrival Buddhism and Hinduism. In Thai animism, women hold a special spiritual status. Many important spirits worshipped by the people are female, such as Mae Pho Sop (goddess of rice). That is to say, Nang Kwak is a local female spirit that evolved into a deity of fortune.

The statues of Nang Kwak was first found in Thailand in the Ayutthaya period (AD 1350-1767). Later in the Rattanakosin era (the modern time), the worship of Nang Kwak became more evident during the reigns of Kings Rama IV and V thanks to the economic growth in those periods. It was also around this time that the famous beckoning cat or “maneki-neko” of Japan made it first appearance in Thailand.

Information by:

https://www.thailandfoundation.or.th/th/culture_heritage/9-quintessential-thai-amulets/

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Ringing Buddha - Phra Kring Pawareth was produced under the reign of King Rama III’s in 2390