History
The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya mention that he dedicated this temple during the rainy season of 1755 CE. A festival was held for three days. Especially for the occasion, a high monk from Wat Sangkha Tha was trained in transcendental meditation to prevent rain during the festivities. The monk, Reverend Yan Rakkhit, practising "air meditation" in the open, was quite successful in his task and kept the rain away for the festival period. The day after, rain fell so heavily that the water inundated the entire area.
"Reaching 1117 of the Royal Era, a year of the boar, seventh of the decade, and arriving at the sixth month, His Majesty the Supreme Holy Buddhist Lord Omnipotent went in holy royal procession to dedicate the Monastery of Mistress Kham. On that occasion rain fell in heavy abundance. The King thereupon issued a holy royal order for the clerical officers and ecclesiastical officials to invite the Reverend Professor of the Monastery of Binding and Overlaying of a district of the Municipality of Wiset Chaichan to come down and had him sit in meditation to help halt the rain. Now that reverend professor had [someone] prostrate himself and say to the King, “I have business to attend to. I would bestow my holy blessing, take my leave and go back to build a seminary, I would ask for one Holy Person and Overlord who is skilled in the ways of holy transcendental meditation to come and I will explain the methods so he can sit in meditation and halt the rain in my soul’s place. The King thereupon manifested His holy compassion by having Reverend Yan Rakkhit of the Holy Royal Synod’s Division of Meditation Matters, [who was] living at the Monastery of Sangkatha, invited to come and study the methods of the way of holy transcendental meditation within the residence of the Reverend Professor of the Monastery of Binding and Overlaying. After the Reverend Professor of the Monastery of Binding and Overlaying had explained the methods for him, he accordingly bestowed his holy blessing, took his leave and went back to his temple. Now, for that dedication of the Monastery of Mistress Kham, a festival was to be held for three days, together with conrom leaping as well. In the evening the rain started up. The Reverend Yan Rakkhit sat in meditation on top of a bedstead - it had a roof as well as curtains of white cloth encircling it - set up out in the open. Now the Holy Person and Overlord practiced air meditation and concentrated to cause a great wind to blow the rain away and end it. For all three days none fell and it clearly appeared to be a miracle. Later, on the fourth whole day, after the activities were finished, a great downpour of rain thereupon fell and water completely inundated that entire area." [1]
The site is in geographical coordinates: 14° 21' 26.15" N, 100° 35' 33.31" E.
Footnotes:
(1) 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. The canal was an extension of Khlong Ayothya.
(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).
References:
[1] Cushman, Richard D. & Wyatt, David K. (2006). The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. Bangkok: The Siam Society. p. 454.
