History of Ayutthaya - Temples & Ruins

WAT KHOK KHAMIN 3 (วัดโคกขมิ่น)

Wat Khok Khamin is located off the main island in the southern area. This abandoned
temple is very hard to visit. It is covered in thick jungle growth, thorny bushes, and tall
grass - ideal vegetation for poisonous snakes and biting insects. Some swampy,
mosquito-infested, ponds are also nearby, which serve as frustrating barriers to finding
the hidden monastery.

Wat Khok Khamin does not appear on Phraya Boran Rachathanin’s 1926 map even
though it is located within the perimeters of his research. He might not have known that it
existed. The monastery first appears a 1993 Fine Arts Department map. There is no
village in the vicinity. There are no canals or paths leading to it. The nearest landmark is a
small recycling factory.

This monastery is oriented toward the east/west axis. The tall grass and heavy vegetation
makes it difficult to ascertain any monastery boundaries, but there are a few sporadic
traces of walls and brick mounds that have survived. In situ are two distinct structures.
One appears to be the remains of some type of altar or chedi. The main Buddha image
has mostly been removed, but there is evidence of a lotus pedestal and the feet and legs
of a meditating Buddha image.

A second chedi is located nearby, but it has heavily eroded. Looters have dug many
holes around the base and scooped away soil at ground level. There are some preserved
stucco designs, but not many other distinguishing marks surviving. The architectural
structure is unique, and few others are like it in the city. Red bricks are scattered
everywhere around it.

There is no clear history about this temple or how it originated. Excavation would reveal
much more information. The thick vegetation makes it difficult to make any claims about
the ruin’s layout. This area heavily floods during rainy season, and excessive looting has
taken a major toll on the integrity of the site. This ruin may be permanently destroyed if
any more damage is done to it.