Telakhon
The Telakhon religion (Pwo Karen: Tala Khoung, meaning "highest karma"; also spelled Telaku) is a millenarian, Buddhist‑influenced prophetic movement among the Karen people of Myanmar and Thailand, emerging in the mid‑19th century.[1]
Origins and Beliefs
Founded by Con Yu in Kya‑in (south of Hpa‑an), the Telakhon sect developed around a prophetic expectation that the restoration of a lost Golden Book by the Karen’s “white younger brothers” would herald a new millennium and liberation from oppression.[1]
The movement’s mythology centers on Ywa, a withdrawn high god, who originally offered this Book to their ancestors—an offer that was ignored—and who will return to deliver the Karen people during the millennium.[1]
Practices and Ethics
Telakhon followers adopted a strict ethical code, banning animal sacrifice and traditional taboos such as meat consumption, alcohol, dancing, gambling, and fornication.[2]
Their leaders—known as Phu Gyaik (“Grandfather Buddha”)—were often ascetic hermits wearing white robes, surrounded by male disciples in white; the current Phu Gyaik is considered the tenth in unbroken succession from Con Yu.[2]
Prophetic Structure and Sects
By the early 1960s, the Telakhon sect had expanded into both Pwo and Sgaw communities across eastern Myanmar and western Thailand. Believers anticipated the coming of Metteyya (the future Buddha) during the tenure of the seventh Phu Gyaik.[2]
The movement also features millenarian expectations and the construction of ephemeral shrines or bamboo pagodas during rituals, reflecting a syncretism between Karen traditional cosmology and Buddhist renewal.[2]
Historical Influences and Conflict
During the 1960s, when the seventh Phu Gyaik received missionary-translated Bibles from American evangelists, disillusionment arose—he believed the Bible lacked the esoteric wisdom found in the Golden Book. This led to religious and political tensions, and the Phu Gyaik was executed around 1967 following clashes with the Karen National Union (KNU).[3]
As of the early 2000s, approximately 2,000–3,000 Telakhon adherents remained in Thailand’s border regions and within the KNU’s 6th Brigade area.[3]
Comparative Context
Telakhon is typically studied alongside other prophetic Karen movements such as Lehkai Ariya and Duwae. These groups have been analyzed for their role as cultural resistance through millenarian frameworks and identity formation.[4]
See Also
References
- ^ a b c "Telakhon". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Gravers, Mikael. "Karen prophetic movements: Telakhon and Leke". Wat Phrabat Huai Tom blog. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ a b "Telahkon sect among the Karen". Burma Library / Karen Museum. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ Miles, William F. S. (2010). "Millenarian Movements as Cultural Resistance: The Karen and Martinican Cases". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 30 (3): 644–659.
Further reading
- Buadaeng, Kwanchewan (2008). "Constructing and Maintaining the Ta-la-ku Community: The Karen along the Thai-Myanmar Border". In Tanabe, Shigeharu (ed.). Imagining Communities in Thailand: Ethnographic Approaches. Chiang Mai: Mekong Press. pp. 83–106. ISBN 9789741339648.