For 3 days and 3 nights, the monks take turns to read about the life of King Phavet. It is said that he ruled over his father’s kingdom as a benevolent monarch, and gave away all his possessions except for an elephant. One of his villages, Gadinkha, suffered from a drought, which dried up all the lakes and rivers. The starving citizens asked King Phavet for help, who bestowed upon them his sole possession, the elephant. However, the villagers were angry as the symbolic gesture appeared unhelpful, and complained to Phavet’s father. This upset the old king, who banished Phavet, his wife Madthii, and their children to the forest.
There, Phavet met a group passing by, and they asked Phavet to give them Madthii. He agreed and handed her and their two children over. A few months later, rains started falling on Gadinkha, and the villagers began growing rice and vegetables again. They eventually realized Phavet’s elephant had brought them luck, so they brought the animal to the old king and told him the news. This heartened him, who summoned Phavet to return and retake the throne. After his death, Phavet was reincarnated, married, and had a son. However, he divorced his wife and became a monk, eventually attaining enlightenment.
