| WATER GAUGE |
| Text & photographs by Tricky Vandenberg - August 2010 |
Along the old Lopburi River, presently called Khlong Muang or city canal, just opposite
the river bank of Wat Kuthi Thong stands a strange stone pillar. Boats with tourists are
daily passing by without giving it any attention. On asking people in its vicinity what this
pillar exactly stands for, we received different answers going from an old city pillar or
Lak Muang until a water gauge.
Steve Van Beek wrote that during the floods of 1831, King Rama III erected a stone
pillar at Ayutthaya (approximately 3.5 meters high) to gauge the water level. That year
the flood level topped 5.23 m above sea level. The flood of the 20th century, was the
one of 1942, registering a maximum of 5.13 meters above sea-level on the Ayutthaya
stone pillar. [1]
The pillar looks a bit Roman and has something wrapped around, what could be a
Phraya Nak and some figures of deities. On top of the stone pillar stands a square stone
- on each side carved with what looks like a Garuda (royal symbol) with another smaller
stone cylinder on top of it. Was this Rama III's water gauge? Next to it stands a shrine
name Chao Phor Lak Muang or translated "Reverend Father City Pillar", making the
whole a bit confusing.
Mid 2010 I started to study a map drafted in the period of Rama III and I found on this
map in the northeastern corner of the Grand Palace close to the premises of Wat
Thammikarat, a square mark and a point within, indicated "San Lak Muang" or "City
Pillar Shrine". This city pillar shrine was thus situated only a few tens of meters of the
location of the stone pillar near the canal today.
I deduct from this that the old city pillar, initially located on the Grand Palace grounds,
has been moved towards the bank of the old Lopburi River with the purpose of serving
as a very basic water gauge. The stone on top has been added to indicate the water level
at a certain year (1831?), while the stone cylinder on top of the stone seems to be added
afterwards indicating a higher level in a later year (1942 or 1995?).
Was the city pillar moved by King Rama III? Plausible, taken into consideration that the
pillar was situated on the Grand Palace grounds, at that time still a Royal possession.
References:
[1] The Chao Phya, River in Transition - Steve Van Beek (1995) - page 135.
the river bank of Wat Kuthi Thong stands a strange stone pillar. Boats with tourists are
daily passing by without giving it any attention. On asking people in its vicinity what this
pillar exactly stands for, we received different answers going from an old city pillar or
Lak Muang until a water gauge.
Steve Van Beek wrote that during the floods of 1831, King Rama III erected a stone
pillar at Ayutthaya (approximately 3.5 meters high) to gauge the water level. That year
the flood level topped 5.23 m above sea level. The flood of the 20th century, was the
one of 1942, registering a maximum of 5.13 meters above sea-level on the Ayutthaya
stone pillar. [1]
The pillar looks a bit Roman and has something wrapped around, what could be a
Phraya Nak and some figures of deities. On top of the stone pillar stands a square stone
- on each side carved with what looks like a Garuda (royal symbol) with another smaller
stone cylinder on top of it. Was this Rama III's water gauge? Next to it stands a shrine
name Chao Phor Lak Muang or translated "Reverend Father City Pillar", making the
whole a bit confusing.
Mid 2010 I started to study a map drafted in the period of Rama III and I found on this
map in the northeastern corner of the Grand Palace close to the premises of Wat
Thammikarat, a square mark and a point within, indicated "San Lak Muang" or "City
Pillar Shrine". This city pillar shrine was thus situated only a few tens of meters of the
location of the stone pillar near the canal today.
I deduct from this that the old city pillar, initially located on the Grand Palace grounds,
has been moved towards the bank of the old Lopburi River with the purpose of serving
as a very basic water gauge. The stone on top has been added to indicate the water level
at a certain year (1831?), while the stone cylinder on top of the stone seems to be added
afterwards indicating a higher level in a later year (1942 or 1995?).
Was the city pillar moved by King Rama III? Plausible, taken into consideration that the
pillar was situated on the Grand Palace grounds, at that time still a Royal possession.
References:
[1] The Chao Phya, River in Transition - Steve Van Beek (1995) - page 135.
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