History of A Kong
“A Kong” was a Chinese ancestor and the “first-person” who found Nakaraja Shrine. According to the urban legend, there was an old swamp in Chan San Town since Dvaravati Era where A Kong saw 2 Nagas swimming. After seeing the two Nagas many times, A Kong performed an ancient Chinese fortune-telling method and realized that Chao Por Nakaraja wanted a shrine to be built at this place. So, A Kong built the shrine per the fortune-telling result. In the beginning, the shrine was only a small shed with zinc roofing but it was renovated continuously until nowadays.
History of Ajarn Haew
Mister Narongsak Khukitirat or “Ajarn Haew: The Deity Fortuneteller” is the fourth-generation descendant of A Kong, the founder of the shrine. Ajarn Haew has followed A Kong`s footsteps and renovated the shrine with a budget of only 3,000 baht.
When Ajarn Haew was young, he found out that he can prophesy people`s fortune since he was only eight years old. However, he continued to live like an ordinary person and didn`t conduct himself as someone of a special status. Then, his fortune-telling skill became more well-known while studying at Thepsatri Rajabhat University for a bachelor`s degree. His popularity reached its peak during his ordination period after he had prophesied many disciples` horoscopes and donated the money that he earned to build Wat Khok Ngam`s ordination hall where he stayed. It is the first ordination hall in Ajarn Haew`s life that he has contributed.
Nowadays, Ajarn Haew has prophesied many disciples` horoscopes and performs a lot of rituals to boost or strengthen people`s fortune. Sometimes, Ajarn Haew performs a ritual and acts as a medium, summoning the deities to bless his disciples and other people. On a normal occasion, Ajarn Haew will be a medium for many other deities but he will be a medium for Chao Por Nakaraja on 10th December, once a year only. It is believed that Chao Por Nakaraja will bless people to achieve great success in trade, especially to Chinese people. During the ritual, there won`t be any conversation. Ajarn Haew has said that “the deities can`t communicate with us. They only come here to bless us.”
When asked about how he felt during the ritual, Ajarn Haew said “My body is completely controlled, even my breath. If they stay for all day, for hours, like other mediums, then I`ll have a hard time.” During the ritual, Ajarn Haew will behave like an old man with a hunchback and he will need help from 2-3 people to support his body. The disciples who have helped him all said in unison that he weighs 2-3 times more than usual.
Apart from reading his disciples` horoscopes, Ajarn Haew also has helped many other people. Some notable examples are donating to Wat Chan Sen School`s meeting hall project, donating to flood victims in 2008, supporting a funding project for Lopburi Red Cross Organization, donating for a building construction project in various temples, and supporting the government organizations in holding countless events. All in all, Ajarn Haew is one of the well-known figures in society.
