| WAT KHANOM JIN |
Wat Khanom Jin or the "Monastery of the Thin Rice Noodles" was once connected to
a chain of Chinese pagodas north of Khlong Pratu Chin. This canal - now buried - once
flowed along an east-west axis toward the Chinese Gate (Pratu Chin), intersecting with
Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak (the canal that once flowed from north to south in front of Wat
Maha That). The nearest modern landmark is Chiresat Witthayalai School.
Wat Khanom Jin appears on Phraya Boran Rachathanin's (1926) map just south of Wat
Khun Muang Chai. It also appears on a Fine Arts Department Map of 1997, but in a
slightly different location. Regardless, this temple can be classified as "disappeared"
because no trace of it can be found today. It is not clear what this temple looked like, nor
do we know if it was just a basic joss house or shrine. No trace of it can be seen for
certain.
It isn't clear when Wat Khanom Jin was originally founded or when it disappeared.
During the Ayutthaya period, a large population of Chinese maritime traders settled in this
area, and this temple was situated by a road known as China Street. Its name implies that
Chinese restaurants might have been located in the vicinity as well. Engelbert Kaempfer
wrote in 1727 that China Street was made of brick and included some of the best houses
in the city (p 44). In addition to the Chinese population; French, Dutch, Muslim, and
English merchants also resided along this road - including the Greek opportunist,
Constantine Faulcon. China Street is also documented on the French map by Sieur de La
Mare (1751).
This temple probably "disappeared" as a new population moved into the neighborhood
during the Ratanakosin period. Khlong Pratu Chin and Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak were
both buried in the rush to modernize the city. Unfortunately, Wat Khanom Jin has not
survived into the new era.
a chain of Chinese pagodas north of Khlong Pratu Chin. This canal - now buried - once
flowed along an east-west axis toward the Chinese Gate (Pratu Chin), intersecting with
Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak (the canal that once flowed from north to south in front of Wat
Maha That). The nearest modern landmark is Chiresat Witthayalai School.
Wat Khanom Jin appears on Phraya Boran Rachathanin's (1926) map just south of Wat
Khun Muang Chai. It also appears on a Fine Arts Department Map of 1997, but in a
slightly different location. Regardless, this temple can be classified as "disappeared"
because no trace of it can be found today. It is not clear what this temple looked like, nor
do we know if it was just a basic joss house or shrine. No trace of it can be seen for
certain.
It isn't clear when Wat Khanom Jin was originally founded or when it disappeared.
During the Ayutthaya period, a large population of Chinese maritime traders settled in this
area, and this temple was situated by a road known as China Street. Its name implies that
Chinese restaurants might have been located in the vicinity as well. Engelbert Kaempfer
wrote in 1727 that China Street was made of brick and included some of the best houses
in the city (p 44). In addition to the Chinese population; French, Dutch, Muslim, and
English merchants also resided along this road - including the Greek opportunist,
Constantine Faulcon. China Street is also documented on the French map by Sieur de La
Mare (1751).
This temple probably "disappeared" as a new population moved into the neighborhood
during the Ratanakosin period. Khlong Pratu Chin and Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak were
both buried in the rush to modernize the city. Unfortunately, Wat Khanom Jin has not
survived into the new era.
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| Text by Ken May - January 2009 Map by Tricky Vandenberg |
