| WAT KHOK MADAN YAI (วัดโคกมะดันใหญ่) |
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| Wat Khok Madan Yai or the Monastery of the Mound of the Large Madan Tree (1) was located on the city island in the southern area at Pratu Chai sub-district. It was situated in the present Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park; the latter being part of the Ayutthaya Historical Park. The site of the former monastery is accessible via U-Thong road and is found west of Wat Jao Prap. King Chakkraphat (r. 1548-1569) also called the Lord of the White Elephant Thianracha (Chakkraphat), before ascending the throne, had his princely residence in the area. The monastery belonged to a cluster of temples located along a canal, connecting Wat Luang Chi Krut with Wat Jao Prap, running parallel with the city’s defense wall. The area was before important, as most of the palace officials and high ranked persons were living on both sides of the Chao Phraya River between Wat Phutthaisawan and Wat Chai Watthanaram. The last traces above ground level of this temple probably disappeared when the Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park was constructed. Only a large grass field remains. Its historical background and exact period of construction are not known, although it is very likely that the former monastery was built in the Middle Ayutthaya period (1488 - 1629 AD). Wat Khok Madan Yai was located in geographical coordinates: 14° 20' 29.31" N, 100° 33' 16.59" E. Footnotes: (1) Madan” (มะดัน) is the Thai word for a tree with the Latin name “Garcinia Schomburgkiana Pierre”. This tree belongs to the Clusiaceae family native to Asia, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia, consists of many species. The tree is 3 to 7 m high and has medicinal capacities. Leafs and fruits macerated with saline water provides a mucolytic drink which relieves cough and can also be used for the treatment of abnormal menstruation. |
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| Text & maps by Tricky Vandenberg - September 2009 Updated August 2014 |
| (Detail of Phraya Boran Rachathanin's map - Anno 1926) |
| (Detail of a 2007 Fine Arts Department GIS map - Courtesy of the Fine Arts Department - 3th Region) |
