| WAT PHISUA (วัดผีเสื้อ) |
Wat Phisua was located off the city island in the northern area of Ayutthaya in Khlong
Sra Bua sub-district, Moo 6. The monastery was situated west of the road running
parallel with Khlong Hua Ro (the old Lopburi River), south of Wat Khrutharam and
west of Wat Khae; adjacent to the former location of Wat Lamut.
Wat Phisua was set in Thung Kaeo (ทุ่งแก้ว) or "field of crystal", an area north of the
city of Ayutthaya bordered on the west and north by Khlong Sra Bua; on the east by
Khlong Hua Ro and in the south by Khlong Mueang.
Wat Phisua is an unrestored and rather large ruin, totally covered with vegetation.
Access is somehow a bit difficult. Remnants of the outer wall and some
chedi foundations can be seen, while orange-red flat bricks are shattered all over the
place. Observing the digging holes, the site has been victim of treasure farming in earlier
times. The monastery is surrounded by a moat (clearly visible from satellite pictures).
The denomination "Phisua" refers likely not to a butterfly, but to a kind of yaksa also
called raksot (รากษส) ; a giant who had the duty to protect or take care of a water
entity such as a river, a canal, a swamp or a sea. [1] In the epic story written by Sunthon
Phu (1787–1855) the poem of “Phra Aphai Mani", we find such a water demon called
Nang Phisua Samut (ocean demon). A statue of the demon can be seen on Phuktian
beach in Cha-Am (Petchaburi).
Historical data about the monastery and its construction are unknown.
The site features on a 1993 and 2005 Foreign Arts Department map. Some remains of
the temple were excavated by the Fine Arts Department (FAD) in Geo Coord: +14° 22'
29.46" N, +100° 33' 35.91" E.
References:
[1] พจนานุกรมสถาปัตยกรรมและศิลปะเกี่ยวเนื่อง ศาสตราจารย์โชติ
กัลยาณมิตร (2005) - page 331.
Sra Bua sub-district, Moo 6. The monastery was situated west of the road running
parallel with Khlong Hua Ro (the old Lopburi River), south of Wat Khrutharam and
west of Wat Khae; adjacent to the former location of Wat Lamut.
Wat Phisua was set in Thung Kaeo (ทุ่งแก้ว) or "field of crystal", an area north of the
city of Ayutthaya bordered on the west and north by Khlong Sra Bua; on the east by
Khlong Hua Ro and in the south by Khlong Mueang.
Wat Phisua is an unrestored and rather large ruin, totally covered with vegetation.
Access is somehow a bit difficult. Remnants of the outer wall and some
chedi foundations can be seen, while orange-red flat bricks are shattered all over the
place. Observing the digging holes, the site has been victim of treasure farming in earlier
times. The monastery is surrounded by a moat (clearly visible from satellite pictures).
The denomination "Phisua" refers likely not to a butterfly, but to a kind of yaksa also
called raksot (รากษส) ; a giant who had the duty to protect or take care of a water
entity such as a river, a canal, a swamp or a sea. [1] In the epic story written by Sunthon
Phu (1787–1855) the poem of “Phra Aphai Mani", we find such a water demon called
Nang Phisua Samut (ocean demon). A statue of the demon can be seen on Phuktian
beach in Cha-Am (Petchaburi).
Historical data about the monastery and its construction are unknown.
The site features on a 1993 and 2005 Foreign Arts Department map. Some remains of
the temple were excavated by the Fine Arts Department (FAD) in Geo Coord: +14° 22'
29.46" N, +100° 33' 35.91" E.
References:
[1] พจนานุกรมสถาปัตยกรรมและศิลปะเกี่ยวเนื่อง ศาสตราจารย์โชติ
กัลยาณมิตร (2005) - page 331.
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| Text & photographs by Tricky Vandenberg - May 2009 Reviewed September 2011 |
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| (Brick remnants in situ) |
| (Brickwork of a bygone chedi) |
| (Click thumbnail for an aerial view) |
| (Extract of a 1993 Fine Arts Department map - Courtesy Khun Supot Prommanot, Director of the 3th Regional Office of Fine Arts) |