| WAT WONG JAK |
Wat Wong Jak is located west of the main island, near the Chao Phraya River. It was
once situated within the Khlong Maha Nak defensive system of canals. For the most
part, this ruin consists of a brick mound; however, a small shrine has been constructed
on site to protect the remains of several Buddha images. One image includes a head that
has survived. A large number of bricks, pottery shards, and roof tiles are scattered
around this site. Nevertheless, there are no surviving chedi, sermon halls, or boundary
walls. The area is prone to heavy flooding, which has taken its toll on the former
monastery.
There is not much history known about this ruin. It first appears on the Phraya Boran
Rachathanin map drafted in 1926. Charnvit Kasetsiri and Michael Wright point out that a
Lao settlement was located in this area. They trapped and sold birds that were later
released for merit [1]. However, there is no clear connection between Wat Wong Jak
and a Laotian community. The impoverished neighborhood remains Buddhist for now;
however Muslim populations are rapidly growing in the vicinity.
References:
[1] Discovering Ayutthaya - Chranvit Kasetsiri & Michael Wright (2007) - page 139.
once situated within the Khlong Maha Nak defensive system of canals. For the most
part, this ruin consists of a brick mound; however, a small shrine has been constructed
on site to protect the remains of several Buddha images. One image includes a head that
has survived. A large number of bricks, pottery shards, and roof tiles are scattered
around this site. Nevertheless, there are no surviving chedi, sermon halls, or boundary
walls. The area is prone to heavy flooding, which has taken its toll on the former
monastery.
There is not much history known about this ruin. It first appears on the Phraya Boran
Rachathanin map drafted in 1926. Charnvit Kasetsiri and Michael Wright point out that a
Lao settlement was located in this area. They trapped and sold birds that were later
released for merit [1]. However, there is no clear connection between Wat Wong Jak
and a Laotian community. The impoverished neighborhood remains Buddhist for now;
however Muslim populations are rapidly growing in the vicinity.
References:
[1] Discovering Ayutthaya - Chranvit Kasetsiri & Michael Wright (2007) - page 139.
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| Text & photographs by Ken May - April 2009 |
| (Click button for aerial view) |
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