| WAT RANG 2 (วัดร้าง) |
Wat Rang is remotely located among rice fields in the southeast sector (near Wat Yai
Chai Mongkhon). Hidden behind an apartment complex and heavy vegetation, it can be
quite difficult to find.
It situ is a medium-sized mound, most of which has collapsed due to seasonal flooding.
Large exploratory holes have been excavated on the spot. There is no chedi or sermon
hall viewable. However, a large number of Buddha images can still be seen. These lie in
numerous fragments that include portions of a head. Some of this debris is quite large,
suggesting that a Buddha image of significant height once stood at this monastery. A large
number of bricks are scattered across the mound.
Not much is known about Wat Rang’s history. It first appears on a 1993 Fine Arts
Department map. The monastery may have been situated on the outskirts of Ayodhya –
the ancient settlement that predated the foundation of Ayutthaya. It was accessible from
the north via Khlong Dusit. Khlong Pra Non also passed below it along an east/west axis.
Although it is subject to debate, Khlong Pra Non most likely formed around the mud
walls of the ancient settlement. Nevertheless, one can only speculate about the age of
Wat Rang.
Chai Mongkhon). Hidden behind an apartment complex and heavy vegetation, it can be
quite difficult to find.
It situ is a medium-sized mound, most of which has collapsed due to seasonal flooding.
Large exploratory holes have been excavated on the spot. There is no chedi or sermon
hall viewable. However, a large number of Buddha images can still be seen. These lie in
numerous fragments that include portions of a head. Some of this debris is quite large,
suggesting that a Buddha image of significant height once stood at this monastery. A large
number of bricks are scattered across the mound.
Not much is known about Wat Rang’s history. It first appears on a 1993 Fine Arts
Department map. The monastery may have been situated on the outskirts of Ayodhya –
the ancient settlement that predated the foundation of Ayutthaya. It was accessible from
the north via Khlong Dusit. Khlong Pra Non also passed below it along an east/west axis.
Although it is subject to debate, Khlong Pra Non most likely formed around the mud
walls of the ancient settlement. Nevertheless, one can only speculate about the age of
Wat Rang.
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| Text & photographs by Ken May - April 2009 |
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