WAT KHOK MAKLUEA





Wat Khok Makluea, or the Monastery of the Ebony Mound (1), was located off the city island in the eastern area of Ayutthaya in the Phai Ling Sub-district.


Wat Prakok (defunct) stood north, Wat Tha Phra (defunct) east, Wat Jula Mani (defunct) south opposite Khlong Kramang (2), and west was a canal running north to Wat Pradu.


A mound, wholly surrounded by water, where the temple stood could be seen in 2009 CE. Pictures from 2019 CE taken by Surachai Inthawari when the site was accessible are on Google Maps.


Its historical background and period of construction are unknown.


The monastery is mentioned on Fine Arts Department (FAD) maps drafted in 1993 and 2007 CE.


The site was in geographical coordinates: 14° 21' 24.73" N, 100° 35' 24.93" E.


Footnotes:


(1) Ebony or Diospyros mollis is a perennial plant in the Ebenaceae family, commonly found growing in mixed forests. The canopy is a rounded bush, and the young branches have soft hairs. The raw fruit of the ebony plant has medicinal properties.

(2) Khlong Kramang flows on the border between Hantra and Phai Ling sub-districts. It covers the stretch between Khlong Hantra and Khlong Ban Bat. Like Khlong Hantra, Khlong Dusit and Khlong Khao San, this canal was once a stretch of the Pa Sak River. The canal is named after a common fish in the Siamese waters, the Smith's Barb (ปลากระมัง).





(View of the site of Wat Makluea in 2009 CE)