Shock horror, a penis swinging beneath a bell, a penis on the counter at 7-11, penises on Thai restaurant counters (see photos below), a little old lady on the street selling penises. Yes it’s true there really are penises in bars, shops and restaurants in Pattaya Thailand, indeed these swinging dicks throughout Thailand, but of course, I’m talking about wooden penises. Known as “Palad Khik” these phallic objects are not as crude as you might think, they’re not the outcome of a Bangkok Haircut, nor are they objects of lewd sexual practices, “maybe this being Pattaya that crossed your mind”. Palad Khik are actually lucky charms “amulets”, and have been used as such in Thailand since the 8th century A.D. when they were brought in to Thailand from Cambodia by the invading Khmers.
Stay in Thailand for any length of time and you will realize how deeply superstitious the Thai people are, they still rely heavily on lucky charms and divine intervention, among the lucky charms you might see in any Thai shop or business are, fish traps, birds, bottle gourds, yantra cloths, pictures of renowned monks, waving cats and “Nang Kwak” the beckoning lady. So it should come as little surprise that a phallic symbol such as the Palad Khik should also be used for luck, should it ?.
Palad Khik are a multi-purpose charm, young boys wear one for protection against water ghosts while swimming, women carry a miniature Palad Khik in their purse to ward off snatchers, men wear them for protection and to attract the opposite sex. Businesses use them to attract custom and fortune, it is said that if a Palad Khik has been blessed by a powerful monk it can draw poison from a snake bite.
The Palad Khik is the phallic form of the Hindu god Shiva, it is also an animistic symbol of fertility. Like our own honorable members it comes in many forms, shapes and sizes, miniatures of 2 inches or less are worn around a mans waist close to the groin or carried in a woman’s purse. Larger ones up to several inches are used as charms and even mini shrines in shops and businesses. Palad Khik more than a meter long can be seen the Mae Tuptim Shrine in Bangkok and at Phra Nang cave in Krabi, South Thailand. They are usually crafted from wood but other materials such as ivory, clay, plaster and metal are also used.
Some Phallic Trivia.
- Also known as “Deputy Penis” and “Honorary Member”.
- It’s not necessary but the Palad Khik has more power if it blessed with a Khathaa spell by a monk.
- They are often scripted with an ancient Khmer text (photo above).
- Palad Khik can be seen in the form a tree, sometimes it may have a lady lying on it, a lizard sat on it, a monkey holding it, it might sometimes even have legs, “I know a few of them myself”.
- If it has been blessed by a powerful monk it can even swim.
- Palad Khik can fend off every kind of evil.
- As if their aren’t enough swinging dicks in Pattaya.