AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



THE PRESIDING BUDDHAS OF AYUTTHAYA





The “Description of Ayutthaya” has become associated with the various Testimony documents as a result of being bundled together by copyists and then printed together. Yet, it almost certainly did not originate from the 1767 CE prisoners’ debriefing. The “Description” was probably compiled early in the Bangkok era from the memories of people who had lived in Ayutthaya before 1767 CE. Prince Damrong (1) suspected that it might have been compiled on royal command during the First Reign to assist with the planning of Bangkok. [1]


The Description is a list of “the major, presiding things of the capital that celebrate the standing of the city of Ayutthaya” and mentions eight Buddha images at temples in the city. [2]


The ancient city of Ayutthaya was home to eight significant Buddha images. Most of them were situated near the Grand Palace. Wat Phra Sri Sanphet once housed four important images: the Phra Phuttha Si Sanphet, the Phra Phuttha Sihing, the Phra Phuttha Borom Traiphopanat, and the Phra Phuttha Jan Daeng. Wat Sumongkon Bophit housed Phra Phuttha Sayam Phuwanamopi, while Wat Thammikarat was home to Phra Khanthanrat. Two other important Buddhas stood across from Hua Sarapha—Phra Phuttha Jao Song Nang Choeng at Wat Phanan Choeng and Phra Phuttha Borom Trailokanathassadayan at Wat Khok. Today, only three of them remain.



The Buddha image Phra Sri Sanphet


Phra Phuttha Si Sanphet is an image depicted in a standing pose, 8 fathoms tall (2), entirely covered in gold, and located in the great preaching hall of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet.


The Burmese stripped the gold coating from the statue of Phra Sri Sanphet, damaging the bronze core of the sculpture. King Rama I of the Chakri dynasty. Phra Phuttha Yotfa (reigned 1782-1809 CE) disassembled the statue into pieces and sent it to Bangkok for restoration, along with the remaining Phra Lokanat image, which was stored in the northern chapel.


The statue, however, was too severely damaged to be restored to its original form. He placed the bronze core of Phra Sri Sanphetdayan in a chedi during the founding of Wat Phra Chetupon, also known as Wat Pho.


The Phra Chedi Sri Sanphetdayan features a green tile mosaic. It is part of a group of four 42-meter-tall pagodas known as the Phra Maha Chedi Ratchakan.





(Phra Chedi Si Sanphetdayan at Wat Pho, Bangkok – Picture taken 10 February 2008 CE)



The Buddha image Phra Phuttha Sihing


In 1661 CE [1662?], King Narai (reigned 1556-1688 CE) took the seated Buddha image in meditation, Phra Phuttha Sihing, back to Ayutthaya from Chiang Mai and placed it in the main preaching hall with a prang, on the grounds of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet.


The image was four cubits (about 2 meters) across the lap, cast from pink “nak” (3) and pure gold.


After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 CE, the invading army returned the image to Chiang Mai. King Rama I brought the image to Bangkok from Chiang Mai in 1795 CE. The image is now housed in the Phutthai Sawan Chapel of the Front Palace, also known as Phra Ratchawang Bowon Sathan Mongkhon, which is now part of the National Museum of Thailand.





(Phra Phuttha Sihing at the Bangkok National Museum - Source: Wikipedia)



The Buddha image Phra Phuttha Borom Traiphopanat


The seated Buddha image in meditation, known as Phra Phuttha Borom Traiphopanat, or the Supreme Protector of the Three Worlds, stood in a vihara (preaching hall) on the grounds of Wat Sri Sanphet. The image, dressed in royal attire (complete with a crown, chest ornament, and other royal decorations), spanned 75 cm across the lap and was carved from a solid block of gold.


During the Burmese invasion and fall of Ayutthaya, the vihara at Wat Sri Sanphet was looted and burned. The gold covering the Buddha image was stripped and melted down, and the statue itself was destroyed, likely broken apart in the process. The vihara housing the image was razed, leaving only the brick foundations and partial walls that can be seen today in the Ayutthaya Historical Park.


The height of the seated Buddha image in meditation posture with a lap width of 1 cubit and 1 span would have typically been around 2.4 to 2.7 cubits (1.65 to 1.87 m), based on classical iconometric ratios.


The Buddha image Phra Phuttha Jan Daeng


The Buddha image Phra Phuttha Jan Daeng, also known as the Red Sandalwood Buddha, stood in the preaching hall of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet and likely underwent the same fate of destruction.



The Buddha image Phra Phuttha Sayam Phuwanamopi


The seated Buddha in meditation, Phra Phuttha Sayam Phuwanamopi, with an 8-meter (16 cubits) span across the lap, cast in brass, was initially located at Wat Chi Chiang Sai. The temple was dismantled, and the Buddha image was moved westward to be housed in a mandapa (a square-roofed structure) in the early 17th century.


The “Description of Ayutthaya” mentions the Buddha at Wat Sumongkhon Bophit. The whole history of the Buddha can be read on the AHR webpage of Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit.





(Phra Mongkhon Bophit - Picture taken August 2022 CE)



The Buddha image Phra Phuttha Borom Trailokanathassadayan


The seated Buddha image in meditation, Phra Phuttha Borom Trailokanathasassadayan, or the Supreme Protector of the Three Worlds, Teacher of Insight, spans 3 meters (6 cubits) across the lap and is cast in brass at Wat Khok. Currently, it is not possible to identify the original location of this revered statue because there are many ruins in Ayutthaya called Wat Khok.


In my view, the most probable site for this statue was Wat Khok, located near Wat Phanan Choeng, as listed or ranked immediately preceding Wat Phanan Choeng in the old documents. Wat Khok is marked on François Valentyn's map (3), but it is unclear whether this was due to its significance or its proximity to the Dutch Settlement.


My attention was also caught by the sketch of Englebert Kaempfer (4), who drew the temple quite large with a surface area of the same size as Wat Phanan Choeng. The height of a Buddha image seated in meditation with a lap width of 6 cubits would typically range from 13.2 to 15 cubits (about 6.6 to 7.5 meters), depending on stylistic and regional iconometric standards. This Buddha image was quite large.


The fate of the Buddha image is unknown, but it was likely destroyed at the fall of Ayutthaya.





(Wat Khok on the sketch of Engelbert Kaempfer -Detail of Kaempfer's sketch 1690 CE. Werke 4. Kritische Ausgabe in Einzelbänden. Herausgegeben von Detlef Haberland, Wolfgang Michel, Elisabeth Gössmann. Engelbert Kaempfer in Siam. Iudicum Verlag GmbH München 2003)



The Buddha image Phra Phuttha Jao Song Nang Choeng


The seated Buddha image in meditation, Phra Phuttha Jao Song Nang Choeng, with a span across the lap of 5 meters (10 cubits), was located in the vihara of Wat Phra Nang Choeng, now known as Wat Phanan Choeng (the latter likely a corruption of its original name).


The Buddha image, built from brick and mortar and covered with stucco, sits in the traditional posture of Subduing Mara. It measures about 14 meters at the lap and stands 19 meters tall, including the ornament above the head. The Thai people call it “Luang Pho To” or “Great Reverend Father,” while Chinese or Thai people of Chinese descent refer to it as “Sam Po Kong.” It is one of the largest, oldest, most beautiful, and most revered Buddha images in Thailand.


The lap width mentioned in the “Description of Ayutthaya” does not match the actual lap width of the Buddha. I believe there was a misrecording, and we should read 30 cubits instead of 10. ​





(Phra Phuttha Nang Choeng at Wat Phanan Choeng– Picture taken April 2002 CE)



The Buddha image Phra Phuttha Khanthanrat


Phra Phuttha Khanthanrat was a Buddha image seated in meditation, with a span across the lap of approximately 50 centimeters (one cubit), cast in bronze, and located in the vihara of Wat Thammikarat. It was a special image, as it was said that the image had been brought by water from the south, imbued with great Buddhist potency, including the ability to summon rain.


The name is very similar to that of the Dvaravati-era Buddha at Wat Na Phra Men, called Phra Khandharat or Khantharat, found at Wat Maha That, but which was originally from Mueang Nakhon Chai Sri (Nakhon Pathom). Wat Thammikarat is said to predate the establishment of Ayutthaya (1351 CE). The image might have been a Dvaravati-era Buddha.


The lap width of a seated Buddha image, measuring 1 cubit, suggests that the total height of the image would typically range from 2.2 to 2.5 cubits (approximately 110–125 cm), based on classical iconometric proportions. Phra Phuttha Khanthanrat was very likely a small image, unless the lap width was misrecorded.


The fate of the Buddha image is unknown, but it was likely destroyed at the fall of Ayutthaya.



Footnotes:


(1) Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (1862-1943 CE), a son of King Mongkut, established the modern Thai educational system and the current provincial administration. He served as Minister of Interior from 1892 to 1915 CE and as Supreme Councillor of State from 1925 to 1932 CE.

(2) In the Rattanakosin era, 8 fathoms was approximately 15.47 meters, based on the historical Siamese fathom being equal to 96 Siamese inches. The old documents refer to 8 Wa (non-metric). Before 1923, when it was standardized at 2 meters, the Wa was estimated to range from 195 cm to 198 cm, depending on the region and context. Therefore, 8 Wa would be between 15.60 and 15.84 meters.

(3) Nak (นาก) refers to a traditional reddish-gold alloy, historically made of copper, gold, and sometimes silver or other trace metals. It resembles rose gold and has been used in royal regalia, sacred objects, and high-status Buddhist images. Nak in Thai culture is a symbolic and sacred alloy, closely connected to Buddhist rituals and royal patronage.

(4) Important historian of the Dutch East India Company [V.O.C], best known for his encyclopedic illustrated account of the Dutch trading empire in Asia, Oud en Nieuw Oost Indien [Amsterdam 1724-1726].

(5) Engelbert Kaempfer. Kaempfer (1651-1716 CE) was a medical doctor working for the Dutch VOC (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) who surveyed the city of Ayutthaya in June 1690 CE.



References:


[1] Baker, Chris (2011). Note On Testimonies And Description Of Ayutthaya. Journal of the Siam Society. Vol. 99.

[2] Baker, Chris (2014). Final Part of the Description of Ayutthaya with Remarks on Defense, Policing, Infrastructure, and Sacred Sites. Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 102.


Other consulted documents


Pongsripian, Vinai, Dr. (2007). Phanna phumisathan Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya: Ekasan jak Ho Luang. Geographical description of Ayutthaya: Documents from the palace. Bangkok: Usakane.



When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
(Alexis de Tocqueville)





HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA



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