Lottery winner donates 2.4 million baht to Nonthaburi temple

A recent lottery winner has donated nearly half of their 6 million baht (US$ 167,033) prize, a sum of 2.4 million baht (US$ 66,807), to Wat Ton in Nonthaburi Province after praying for luck and winning the first prize. The donation follows a promise made to the revered Luang Phor Samret statue at the temple, which is believed to have been with the temple since the late Ayutthaya period.

On February 16, the lucky individual purchased a single lottery ticket bearing the number 941395 and won the coveted first prize. After their win, they approached the temple’s abbot, Phra Kru Pipitthammathet, to donate a portion of their winnings to support the temple’s activities.

Phra Kru Pipitthammathet shared that the generous winner had previously prayed to the temple’s sacred Luang Phor Samret statue for good fortune. It was on their way out of the temple that they happened to buy a few lottery tickets from a passing seller among them was the winning ticket for the first prize, reported Sanook.

The winner’s donation will be allocated to various temple projects, including a contribution of 2 million baht (US$ 55,673) towards the temple’s Kathin ceremony, an offering that is traditionally made after the end of the Buddhist Lent. An additional 200,000 baht will be used for painting the meditation hall, and another 200,000 baht for paving the temple grounds, totalling the promised 2.4 million baht.

The sacredness of Luang Phor Samret is well-known, and daily, people come to the temple to pay their respects and make offerings, including celebrities, artists, and politicians. The temple’s abbot showcased the bank cheque of 2 million baht from the lucky winner and confirmed that the remaining 400,000 baht for painting and paving had been received in cash by the temple.

In related news, a Thai woman paid respects to a spirit shrine after she won several hundred thousand baht in a lottery draw by offering a traditional dance and a movie screening. The tribute took place today, May 22, at Wat Pa Pradu, Kabin Buri District, in Thailand’s Prachin Buri Province.