To the east (around the raised traffic island) stood at least a monastic building (a prayer or an ordination hall). The remaining structures of this monastery were likely levelled when the Pridi-Thamrong Bridge was constructed (opened on 14 July 1943 CE), and the development of land transportation routes into Ayutthaya was developed. The construction of the bridge and Rojana road finally linked Ayutthaya to Bangkok (be aware that the Asian Highway linking Bangkok to Nakhon Sawan was only constructed in 1972 CE).
The establishment and history of this temple is unknown.
Wat Sam Pluem is in geographical coordinates: 14° 21' 13.80" N, 100° 35' 29.44" E.
Footnotes:
(1) The three delights may refer to the three delights of Moksha (the trivarga or group of three), which are the delight afforded by the knowledge of Nihility, the delight afforded by the knowledge that things are produced without a cause, and the delight that he has to perform no samádhis any more. The simplified definition of moksha is freedom from the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. [Mitra, R. (1882). The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal. The Asiatic Society of Bengal. Calcutta. p. 218.
(2) The local name (gangster chedi) derives from the chedi sitting in the middle of the road, forcing everybody to go around it. It was likely in the mind of the street designers to get rid of this obstacle blocking the entry of Ayutthaya, but as the structure is sacred, nobody dared to remove it and challenge fate. In an aerial photograph taken in 1944 CE, we see the newly constructed road passed on the north side of the chedi.
