WAT PHO (1)

Wat Pho, or the Monastery of the Bodhi Tree, is located off the city island in the northern area of Ayutthaya, in the Khlong Sra Bua Sub-district. This area, east of Khlong Sra Bua (1), was called Thung Kaeo (2). The ruins of Wat Pho are situated between Wat Kuti Thong and Wat Wong Khong. To find the relatively well-preserved ruins, you must go off-road on a small path leading to the site.

Access to the monastery was via a canal called Khlong Wat Pho, which can be noticed on Phraya Boran Ratchathanin's map drafted in 1926 CE. The canal likely connected to Khlong Pha Lai. In earlier times, this monastery seems to have been surrounded by a moat, as traces of it can still be seen. Khlong Wat Po was filled in the last century, probably when the road linking Wat Mai Khlong Sra Bua to Wat Wong Khong was constructed. A ferry service - one of the former seven northern ferries across the old Lopburi River - was going up and down from the Ten Cowries Landing on the city's side across to Khlong Wat Pho. (3) [1]

In situ are the restored ruins of an ordination hall, a vihara and four foundations of minor chedis, all surrounded by an outer wall. These structures had their main entrance in the south, as the Buddha images must have faced the Lopburi River. All structures are built in an east-west alignment.

To the west of the monastic sanctuary stands a royal residence (tamnak) used mainly by high-ranking people when visiting a temple. The building has Arabic-style windows, revealing Iranian influence. A moat partly surrounds the area. In the north of the site stands a chedi with a double-redented dome, indicative of late Ayutthaya-period architecture (1629-1769 CE).

Bricks can still be found over a large area, suggesting the monastery could have contained many more structures. According to the Fine Arts Department, the site was 8 rai, 1 ngan, and 56 talang wa, which is approximately 70 acres.

Historical data about the monastery and its construction is unknown.

The site is challenging to access in the rainy season due to flooding.

Noh Na Paknam

Noh Na Paknam was a prolific writer, art historian, and preservationist who worked closely with Silpakorn University and the Fine Arts Department, and who wrote extensively on Thai temples, antiques, and murals. From November 1966 to March 1967 CE, he spent five months in the Ayutthaya area, visiting known temples and ruins. He visited Wat Pho on 11 February 1967 CE. The following is a report from his site visit.

"South of Wat Kalib is Wat Pho, situated on a large earthen mound, forming a vast island. A small, twelve-sided pagoda without a raised platform was found, with bricks measuring 34.5 x 16.5 x 7 cm and 27 x 14 x 6.5 cm. The pagoda is heavily perforated. Because the mound resembles a large island in the middle of a field, it is densely covered with trees, both large and small. It was necessary to trek through the thorny thicket to find the main chapel, which turned out to be on another mound. The chapel and the vihara (assembly hall) stand side by side. The construction style suggests it dates to the reign of King Narai, as the arched brick windows and white slate boundary markers indicate a temple from the early Ayutthaya period that later underwent major renovations during his reign. Beside the chapel is a large rectangular pond, still full of water, surrounded by trees, creating a shady, eerie, and somewhat frightening atmosphere. On the front wall of the vihara, traces of decorative plaques remain, including fragments of large stucco reliefs of mythical creatures (Naga) and others (Rem 83: decorative tiles on plates have existed since the late Ayutthaya period). A flat roof was also found, which makes it clear that in the early Rattanakosin period this temple was not abandoned and that people were renovating it. It must have become abandoned not too long ago." [2]

The ruin of Wat Pho is at the geographical coordinates: 14° 21' 49.65" N, 100° 33' 52.09" E.