WAT KUDI DAO





Wat Kudi Dao, or the Monastery of the Star Dormitory, is located off the city island in the northeastern area of Ayutthaya, in the Hantra Sub-district. The monastery stood in an area believed to be once an old town called Mueang Ayothya. (1) Wat Jakrawan (ruin) stood north, Wat Khut Din (defunct) east, Wat Samana Kottharam south and Wat Pradu Songtham northwest.


Travelling to this temple was inconvenient in the past, as one had to take a boat from the railway station and row along Khlong Ban Bat (2), then turn into small canals that were only navigable during the rainy season. Visitors had to proceed on foot, wading through shrubs and trees until reaching Wat Kuti Dao. Today, going to the temple has become more convenient due to the construction of a road in the northern direction (Mueang Ayothya Municipality Road No. 3058), branching off from the main road at Chedi Wat Sam Plum and leading to Wat Dusittharam. [1]


Wat Kudi Dao, a large and restored ruin, was centrally located within a highly-concentrated cluster of temples and stood on the west bank of Khlong Ayothya. The monastery is one of the best-preserved ruins in the area. (3)


The temple had a major renovation two years later than Wat Maheyong in the reign of King Thai Sa (Phumintaratcha, 1709-1733 CE).





(View of the Royal vihara of Wat Kudi Dao)



History


The exact establishment of Wat Kudi Dao is unknown, but apparently, excavations suggest the foundations of earlier buildings dating to the early Ayutthaya period (1351-1488 CE). [2]


Engelbert Kaempfer, a German physician to the Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) Embassy to the Emperor of Japan, walked in June 1690 CE from Wat Pradu, called by him the ‘Barklam Temple’ to Wat Samana Kottharam. On a sketch detail, he indicates 200 paces or 235 metres along a canal from Khlong Wat Pradu to Wat Samana Kottharam. Kaempfer draws Wat Samana Kottharam on his sketch, but he does not indicate a monastery on the site of Wat Kudi Dao, which he passed on its west side. This information makes me conclude that nothing was sticking out of the shrubs, which could indicate Wat Kudi Dao before its renovation in 1711 CE. [3]


The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya mention that the Uparat, the heir-apparent, started the restoration of Wat Kudi Dao in 1711 CE. He often remained at the site, and a royal pavilion or ‘tamnak” was built north of the construction site for that purpose. It took nearly four years before the renovation was completed.


The Supreme Holy Younger Brother of the King, the Department of the Holy Royal Palace Enclosure of the Excellent Site of Auspiciousness, had artisans restore the Monastery of the Large Star Dormitory in the year of the hare, third of the decade. His Majesty went to watch the work at that monastery with His holy eyes, sometimes for one month, sometimes for two months, just like the Holy Older Brother of the King. It was more than three years before that monastery was completely finished.” [4]


The renovated Wat Kudi Dao was inaugurated in 1715 CE, and a festival was held for a week.


“In that year of the goat, seventh of the decade, the Holy Grand Deputy King had the Monastery of the Star Dormitory dedicated and performed holy royal acts of merit by giving alms and making offerings in worship to the Holy Triple Gems in great amounts. He had a festival to celebrate staged for seven days and that dedication was completely finished.” [5]


In 1727 CE, the Uparat of Ayutthaya, the brother of King Thai Sa and later King Borommakot (reign 1733-1758 CE), was ordained at Wat Kudi Dao. The monastery's abbot bearing the title ‘Phra Thep Muni’ must have significantly influenced the king's younger brother.


"During 1089 of the Royal Era, a year of the goat, ninth of the decade, the King fell ill with a disease of the tongue. In that year His Majesty, the Supreme Holy Younger brother of the King and Lord of the Department of the Holy Royal Palace Enclosure of Excellence, went out to be ordained at the Monastery of the Star Dormitories." [6]





(One of the eight entry gates in the outer wall)



After the execution of the Uparat, Prince Sena Phithak (Lord Thamma Thibet), King Borommakot chose to appoint his youngest son of the first rank, Phon Phinit (Uthumphon), as the new heir apparent. To avoid infighting, he compelled the eldest son, Anurak Montri (Ekathat), to enter the monkhood to prevent infighting. On the death of King Borommakot in 1758 CE, a conflict ignited over who should inherit the throne. Three of Uthumphon’s half-brothers, namely, Kromma Muen Chit Sunthon, Kromma Muen Sunthon Thep, and Kromma Muen Sep Phakdi, started to collect weapons and large bands of followers. Uthumphon, being aware, summoned the five members of the Holy Royal Synod to the Residence of the Rabbit Garden at the Royal Palace and asked them to mediate with his three half-brothers, aiming at a peaceful settlement. The eldest monk of the synod was Phra Thep Muni of Wat Kudi Dao.


“On ____ day, the fifth day of the waning moon, being a Holy Day, the Reverend Thep Muni, the Reverend Phuttha Khosacan, the Reverend Tham Udom, the Reverend Tham Cedi and the Reverend Thep Kawi came in and were preparing to offer a sermon on the Holy Doctrine at the Clerics’ Annex. At a little past [one] thum a holy command was thereupon issued to have them invited on in to the Residence of the Rabbit Garden. [The Deputy King] requested they go up, remonstrate with the lords of the three departments and have them come down to be united willingly with each other. [The reverends] returned by two thum. Later, at a little after three yam, the lords of the three departments thereupon came for an audience and all three pledged Their loyalty [to the Deputy King]. [7]


In July 1766 CE, the Supreme Patriarch living at Wat Maha That died. Phra Thep Muni from Wat Kudi Dao, who stayed at Wat Suwan Chedi because the monks of every temple outside the city walls came to live in the city due to the Burmese surrounding the city, was designated by King Ekathat (reign 1758-1767 CE) to become the new Supreme Patriarch. At the beginning of 1767 CE and shortly before the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese, Phra Thep Muni also died.


“Within the Celestial Capital and Grand Metropolis during that eighth month, the Supreme Holy Cleric Royal of the Monastery of the Holy Glorious Jeweled Grand Reliquary came down with an ailment and was extinguished. The King manifested His holy compassion by having his corpse prepared and placed in a holy funeral urn. The King was thereupon pleased to have Reverend Thep Muni of the Monastery of the Star Dormitory, who had come in to stay at the Monastery of the Heavenly Funeral Monument, promoted to be the Supreme Holy Cleric Royal. Having managed to hold [the position] for six or seven months, he also came down with an ailment and was extinguished. The King was pleased to have [his corpse] placed in a holy funeral urn. Neither of their holy corpses had yet been cremated because fighting still enveloped the Holy Metropolis.” [8]





(View of the Royal vihara of Wat Kudi Dao)



Architecture The layout of Wat Kudi Dao is rectangular. The monastic buildings are aligned on an east-west axis. The restored ruin comprises the remnants of an ordination hall, a central chedi, and a vihara. Several satellite or minor chedis surrounded the main structures. On the north side, outside the outer wall, was a royal pavilion (Tamnak) where royalty watched the temple's renovation.

The prayer hall was east of the site, while the main chedi stood west. The structure was built with bricks and mortar in a rectangular plan 27.80 meters long and 15.40 meters wide. There were porches on the east and west sides accessible via stairs on both sides. The bases of the porches were in lion-legged shape, and most were in relatively good condition. There were three doors in the front and two in the back. The middle door was larger than the others, each topped with crown-like, spire-shaped stucco ornamentation ((restored - ซุ้มหน้าต่างพระวิหารหลวงทรงมงกุฎ)-restored). The walls are left with only three sides: north, east and south, while the west wall came down. There were four windows and four false windows on each long side. These were once primed with black lacquer and covered with gold leaf, though only traces of the black lacquer remain. The roof, which is gone, was supported by two rows of round pillars, of which today only six are left round brick columns were a characteristic of the late Ayutthaya period (1629 - 1767 CE). The capitals were in the form of lotuses (bua hua sao) composed of tiers of overlapping small lotus petals in the shape of a bulb. The brick rectangular pedestal for the main Buddha image inside the ubosot was enlarged, proof of earlier renovation. [9]

What is believed to be an ordination hall (traces of the Bai Sema or boundary stones were not found) stood in the west and was made of brick and mortar. The building was rectangular, 27 metres long and 14.10 meters wide. The walls of the hall are mostly intact. There were two porches, back and front, both accessible by stairs. There were two doors in the front and the back. Two rows of six round pillars supported the roof only their restored foundations remained. There were three windows on each side. The vihara stands on a base that slightly curves at the middle of the long side, junk-like, typical for the late Ayutthaya period (1629 - 1767 CE).





(The remaining pillars with capitals in the shape of a bulb)



The principal chedi stands west of the ordination hall. The foundation was square and twelve rabbeted-angled, with sides of 14.50 metres. It was accessible through two sets of stairs in the east. The stupa was a large bell-shaped chedi in the Sri Lankan style on an octagonal twelve-rabbeted-angled base. Around the main chedi were eight stupas in the cardinal and the inter-cardinal directions. Four corner chedis were completing a quincunx. The chedi was surrounded by a gallery, completely damaged today. Whether or not the ordination hall penetrated the gallery is not known. The chedi was restored by accretion. Long cracks on the four sides of its base show that the chedi was subsiding and finally collapsed. The spire can be seen on the ground below.


In addition, there are several ruins of small chedis to the north and south of the ordination hall, maybe having contained the ashes of important people of that period.


An outer wall surrounds the premises, measuring 256 metres long and 63 metres wide. The wall has indented corners on the four sides. There were two large gates on each side of the walls, also a typical characteristic of the late Ayutthaya period.





(View of the ordination hall of Wat Kudi Dao)



The Royal Pavilion


Tamnak Kammalian, or the Kammalian Royal Residence, is a brick structure situated north of the outer wall of the Kudi Dao Monastery. It is a building with two stories. The royal residence measures 30 meters long and 14.6 meters wide in a rectangular plan on an east-west axis. The building had two porches. The first floor had ten windows on both longest sides with an additional entry in the middle. There was a set of stairs on the longer side to reach the second floor. This floor had 11 windows on each side. All upper parts of the windows were arched (curved like lotus petals), reflecting a distinct Muslim influence. Both sides of the wall were chiselled. The second floor had three doors, of which the middle was the largest. There was only one small door on the first floor, connecting the porch with the area inside the building. The building was supported by two rows of ten columns, of which only the bases were left. After the restoration was finalised, the building might have functioned as a sermon hall. A large Bodhi tree sits over the northeastern corner of the building.


Wat Kudi Dao is in geographical coordinates: 14° 21' 47.55" N, 100° 35' 23.97" E





(View of Tamnak Kammalian from the north)



Footnotes:


(1) The area of Ayothya was probably already populated at the end of the Dvaravati era (6th to 11th centuries). There is some evidence that a community settled in this area much earlier than 1351 CE, the date of establishment of the city of Ayutthaya. Sources mention that during the reign of Suryavarman I (1002-1050 CE) of Angkor, the Khmers occupied the area and established a stronghold here as an appendage of Lopburi, naming it Ayothya after the ancient and one of the holiest Hindu cities of India, the old capital of Awadh, in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh. Phraya Boran Ratchathanin (1871-1936 CE), who was the Superintendent Commissioner of Monthon Ayutthaya from 1925 to 1929 CE but occupied important functions since 1896 CE in Monthon Ayutthaya, suggested in 1907 CE that "a pre-Ayudhyan city was situated immediately to the east of the location of Ayudhya," Prince Damrong Rajanubhap (1862-1943 CE), a prominent figure in Thai history known for his significant contributions in various fields including history, decided seven years later that a city called Ayothya "was founded by the Khmer who were ruling at Lopburi". The reason that they concluded that there must have been an earlier town before Ayutthaya was established in 1351 CE was probably the mentioning of its existence in records such as the Chronicles of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, the Chronicle of the Sihing Buddha Image, the Chronicle of the North, the Chronicle of Yonok, the Mulasasana and the Jinakalamali. Until today, hardly any archaeological research has been done to determine methodically that a pre-Ayutthaya city was situated immediately east of Ayutthaya.

(2) Khlong Ban Bat, or the Canal of the Village of the Monk's Alms-Bowl, is in Ho Rattanachai and Phai Ling sub-districts of Ayutthaya. The waterway links the Pa Sak River with Khlong Kramang in the Phai Ling Sub-district and Khlong Khao Mao in the Hantra Sub-district. Given its rectilinearity and east-west orientation, this canal was man-made.

(3) Khlong Ayothya, and in its extension, Khlong Kudi Dao, was an artificial short-cut canal running north-south and dug in a loop of the Pa Sak River, which riverbed later became Khlong Hantra. The canal is defunct today, but some small stretches can still be seen parallel with Road No 3058.


References:


[1] Krom Sinlapakorn (1968), Phra Rachawang lae Wat Boran nai Jangwat Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya (Fine Arts Department).

[2] Tourism Authority of Thailand (2000). Ayutthaya: A world heritage. Bangkok: Darnsutha Co. Ltd. pp. 134-5.

[3] Kaempfer, Engelbert - Werke 4. Kritische Ausgabe in Einzelbänden. Herausgegeben von Detlef Haberland, Wolfgang Michel, Elisabeth Gössmann. Engelbert Kaempfer in Siam. Iudicum Verlag GmbH München 2003. Edited by Barend Jan Terwiel.

[4] Cushman, Richard D. & Wyatt, David K. (2006). The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. Bangkok: The Siam Society. p. 405.

[5] Ibid. p. 407.

[6] Ibid. p. 397.

[7] Ibid. p. 464.

[8] Ibid. p. 509.

[9] Charnvit Kasetsiri & Michael Wright (2007). Discovering Ayutthaya. Toyota Thailand Foundation. pp. 108-11.



The Ground Plan of Wat Kudi Dao


Reference: Krom Sinlapakorn (1968), Phra Rachawang lae Wat Boran nai Jangwat Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya (Fine Arts Department).





No 1: The temple wall has a distinctive feature compared to the walls of other temples. Typically, temple walls have regular right-angled corners. However, this temple wall has corners that are intricately and alternately angled, forming a total of three zigzag patterns on all four corners. Along the long sides of both directions, there are additional inward zigzag patterns, enhancing its remarkable aesthetic appeal. This temple wall is 93 meters wide and 256 meters long. Each side of the wall has two gates, and every gate is adorned with a beautifully curved pediment. Notably, the front gates have larger pediments compared to the other sides.


No 2: The sanctuary is located at the centre of the temple, just behind the front gate pavilion, occupying an area of approximately 12x40 meters, as evident from the remaining structures. There are still two sides of the sanctuary walls, each featuring large window openings. This distinctive characteristic differs from other ancient temples where large window openings are not commonly found. Instead, those temples often have high-level latticed windows. Additionally, the sanctuary has round columns with lotus motifs on top, similar to the columns of the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha and Wat Maha That. However, there are no remnants of a large Buddha image or evidence of damage to the main Buddha statue.


No 3: The central stupa of the temple is surrounded by four smaller stupas featuring a corner-cut design at the base. The main stupa has a rounded, bell-shaped structure and is currently reduced to the remains of its base, forming a shape reminiscent of an inverted bell. The remaining base resembles an overturned bell, and the current height of the stupa is approximately 30 meters. The ascent to the stupa is from the east side, while only the bases of the four corner stupas remain.


No 4: The royal hall has features and dimensions similar to the current ordination hall. However, only the ruins of both sides of the walls remain, with no columns or doors left. Although there are no traces of the original stucco decorations, it can be inferred that it might have been a royal hall. It is just not evident whether the remains of the royal hall are within the compound wall or outside the monastery. As mentioned in Number 2, the ordination hall is located east of the temple. As for Number 4, it is likely the royal hall because traditional ordination halls during the Ayutthaya period were usually built in front of the main stupa, which faces east. The remains of the royal hall would then be located at the rear, which is to the west.


No 5: The area of ruins with indistinct shapes was initially understood as a stupa. However, upon closer inspection, it was observed that there is a tapering section at the top resembling the spire of a pagoda. Therefore, it is likely to be a large stupa or a group of stupas similar to those on the southern side of the main stupa.


No 6: The royal residence still exhibits the characteristics of a roofed building with collapsed roofing material piled up. The walls have large, window-like openings, and the entrance staircase is located to the north. The royal residence, within the temple walls, is currently a suitable forest area that cannot be closely surveyed. It is speculated to be the residence of the presiding figure of the temple's consecration ceremony, who stayed in the residence periodically, perhaps every other month. However, no evidence is mentioned in any source regarding this residence. The locals refer to this royal residence as "Kammalian." It might have served as a pavilion, and after the successful completion of the consecration ceremony, it may have been granted to the temple. Additionally, there are soil mounds and piles of bricks, around 3-4 locations, which are believed to be significant and insignificant remnants.