| WAT KHOK KHAMIN 4 (วัดโคกขมิ้น) |
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Wat Khok Khamin or the "Monastery of the Mound of the Curcuma Plant" (1) was
located on the city island in the southwestern area of Ayutthaya in Pratu Chai sub-district.
The site is only indicated on a mid-19th century map and does not feature on Phraya
Boran Rachathanin's (PBR) map drafted in 1926, which shows only an empty space in
that area. Wat Khok Khamin was situated between Wat Sangkha Tha and Wat Khon.
There are no traces anymore visible of the monastery above ground level. The author
presumes this area was already cleared of temple ruins prior Phraya Boran Rachathanin's
arrival in Ayutthaya.
Historical data about the monastery and its construction are unknown.
Phraya Boran Rachathanin mentions a temple with the same name, north Khlong Klaeb,
along the south side of Talaeng Kaeng Road near the Lam Hoei Bridge. In view of the
distance these monasteries must have been different.
Footnotes:
(1) Khamin is the Thai word for curcuma. The latter is a plant, a genus in the ginger plant
family Zingiberaceae having its habitat in the warm, humid environments of south and
southeast Asia. The most commercially important kind is Curcuma Longa, originating
from India, widely cultivated in Asia for its underground stems. The stems are boiled for
several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep
orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in curries and other South Asian
cuisine. It is also used for dyeing and to impart color to mustard condiments. The root of
turmeric (Curcuma Longa) has long been used in traditional Asian medicine to treat
gastrointestinal upset, arthritic pain, and "low energy."
located on the city island in the southwestern area of Ayutthaya in Pratu Chai sub-district.
The site is only indicated on a mid-19th century map and does not feature on Phraya
Boran Rachathanin's (PBR) map drafted in 1926, which shows only an empty space in
that area. Wat Khok Khamin was situated between Wat Sangkha Tha and Wat Khon.
There are no traces anymore visible of the monastery above ground level. The author
presumes this area was already cleared of temple ruins prior Phraya Boran Rachathanin's
arrival in Ayutthaya.
Historical data about the monastery and its construction are unknown.
Phraya Boran Rachathanin mentions a temple with the same name, north Khlong Klaeb,
along the south side of Talaeng Kaeng Road near the Lam Hoei Bridge. In view of the
distance these monasteries must have been different.
Footnotes:
(1) Khamin is the Thai word for curcuma. The latter is a plant, a genus in the ginger plant
family Zingiberaceae having its habitat in the warm, humid environments of south and
southeast Asia. The most commercially important kind is Curcuma Longa, originating
from India, widely cultivated in Asia for its underground stems. The stems are boiled for
several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep
orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in curries and other South Asian
cuisine. It is also used for dyeing and to impart color to mustard condiments. The root of
turmeric (Curcuma Longa) has long been used in traditional Asian medicine to treat
gastrointestinal upset, arthritic pain, and "low energy."
| Text & map by Tricky Vandenberg - April 2011 |
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| (Extract of a mid-19th century map) |