WAT KHOK (4)





Wat Khok, or the Monastery of the Mound, is located off the main island in the southeast area of Ayutthaya, in the Ho Rattanachai Sub-district.

Wat Ro (defunct) stood north, Wat Phanan Choeng northeast, Wat Monthop (defunct) east, and the Dutch Settlement (Baan Hollanda) south. A tiny canal separated the monastery from Wat Phanan Choeng. The site is now part of the ever-expanding Wat Phanan Choeng premises.

There is a small brick mound on which a Banyan tree took root, but nothing else was seen in 2009 CE.

The history and date of establishment is not known.

The area was ethnically Chinese, as can be noticed from the large Chinese graveyard opposite.


Wat Khok features on the drafted map of 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. The monastery stood north of the village surrounding the Dutch Settlement and was in surface area of the same size as Wat Phanan Choeng.

Wat Khok is also mentioned on the detailed map of the Chao Phraya River by François Valentyn and part of his work "Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien" (1724-1726 CE) as "Wat Kuuk". [1] As it was close to the Dutch settlement, we could state that the temple was mentioned on Valentyn's map due to its proximity to the Dutch lodge additionally, Valentyn seems only to indicate important markers or points of interest on his map. Wat Khok could thus have been an important temple.





(View of the remnants of Wat Khok)



The "Description of Ayutthaya", an old verbal description of the capital, lists eight important Buddha images at temples in the city. One of these images, the "Phra Phuttha Borom Trailokanat Satsadayan", seated in meditation, six cubits across the lap, cast in brass, was housed at Wat Khok. As there are many temples in Ayutthaya bearing the name "Khok", it is difficult - not to say nearly impossible - today to find exactly out where the location was. Still, Wat Khok here is a possible contender, although I believe the image was likely at Wat Maheyong. [2]


After the renovation of Wat Maheyong, King Thai Sa (reign 1709-1733 CE) ordered carpenters to build a ship with three decks, 37 metres long and 12 metres wide. The large anchor for the ship was struck at Wat Khok, which was probably this location. The only people capable (knowledge and craftsmanship) of building such a large ship were the Dutch. Such a large ship would for obvious reasons not have been built north of Ayutthaya’s City Island. I believe this ship was built near Wat Khok along the “Bangkok River” (1), with easy access for the Dutch to follow up on its construction. Remarkably still today, in this place, there is a shipyard.


"In a year of the horse, sixth of the decade, [1714 CE] the Supreme Holy Lord of the Realm had carpenters build a large triple-visaged ship, eighteen wa and two sòk long, and six wa and two sòk wide at the beam, and had a large anchor struck for it at the Monastery of the Mound. In five months that large ship was finished. [The King] had it taken out to the Municipality of Marit (Marüt), loaded with over thirty elephants, and sent it to sell the elephants at the distant Thet municipalities. The various people [assigned to the ship], after boarding the ship and using its sails to go to the Thet municipalities, sold those elephants and obtained silver and cloth in great quantities [in exchange]. Then they returned and came back to the Municipality of Marit (Marüt) a little over a year later." [3]


Wat Khok is shown on several maps starting with Phraya Boran Ratchathanin's map of 1926 CE.


Footnotes:


(1) The Bangkok River was in the Ayutthayan era, the stretch of water of the Lopburi River from Bang Kaja at the southern point of Ayutthaya till its confluence with the Chao Phraya River at Bang Sai. The Bangkok River became a stretch of the Chao Phraya River in the 19th century after the latter was deviated from Ban Kum to Ayutthaya in 1857 CE. The stretch of water from Ban Kum until Bang Sai is called today the Bang Ban Canal and joins the Noi River at Nam Tao. The latter flows south until Bang Sai, where it joins the present Chao Phraya River.


References:


[1] Valentyn, François (1626). Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën. Deel 3. Boek 6. Beschryvinge van Siam en onsen Handel aldaar.

[2] Baker, Chris (2014). Final Part of the Description of Ayutthaya with Remarks on Defence, Policing, Infrastructure, and Sacred Sites - Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 102. p 166.

[3] Cushman, Richard D. & Wyatt, David K. (2006). The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. Bangkok: The Siam Society. p. 406.