Wat Sam Wihan

Wat Sam Wihan, or the Monastery of the Three Preaching Halls, is an active temple situated off the city island of Ayutthaya in the Hua Ro Sub-district. The monastery stands near the junction of Khlong Hua Ro (1) and Khlong Mueang (2), both part of the old riverbed of the Lopburi River. The Maha Chai Fortress stood opposite.

Architecture

Wat Sam Wihan was called Wat Sam Phihan (3) in ancient times, derived from the three viharas constructed in situ on an east-west axis along the old Lopburi River.

Based on the tamnan (4) history, this monastery has existed since 1377 CE and was established during the reign of King Boromracha I (1370-1388 CE). It was constructed in the same period as Wat Mae Nang Pluem and the founding of the twin cities Mueang Phrom (Phrom Buri) and Mueang In (In Buri). The story goes that Mom Luang Chi Dam and her two younger brothers, all royal descendants, wanted a place to keep the ashes of their mother and other family members. They decided to divide the work. Mom Luang Chi Dam built the reclining Buddha and its vihara Jao Fa (prince) Khao constructed the Buddha Luang Pho Khao (the white Buddha) and its vihara, and Jao Fa Khiao was in charge of Luang Pho Yun (the standing Buddha) and its vihara. The monastery received its boundary stones ten years later, in 1387 CE (inauguration of the ordination hall).

The northernmost building houses a large 21m-long reclining Buddha, said to be 600 years old, and should thus date to the 14th-15th centuries CE. A funeral monument, a twenty-rabbeted-angled chedi in a square plan, stands to its west.

The southern building is the ordination hall and houses a sitting Buddha called ‘Luang Pho Thong’ (Gold Revered Father). The hall has 17 'Bai Sema' or boundary stones. One single base in the east contains three boundary stones, a rare case for which I do not have an explanation. Double boundary stones indicate that the monastery once had royal patronage.

The central building containing a standing Buddha image no longer exists. Instead, an open pavilion houses a white Buddha image called 'Luang Pho Khao' (White Revered Father). In front of this building stands a large brick chedi in Ayutthaya style on a square base.

Fragments of old sandstone Buddha images dating back to the Ayutthaya era can be seen in the northern vihara.

The most northern building houses a large 21m long reclining Buddha, said to be 600 years old, and should thus date back to the 14th-15th century CE. A funeral monument, a twenty-rabbeted-angled chedi in a square plan, stands to its west.

The southern building is the ordination hall and houses a sitting Buddha called ‘Luang Pho Thong’ (gold reverend father). The hall has 17 'Bai Sema' or boundary stones. One single base in the east contains three boundary stones, a rare case of which I do not have an explanation. Double boundary stones indicated that the monastery had once royal patronage.

The central building containing a standing Buddha image is no more. Instead, there is an open pavilion with a white Buddha image called 'Luang Pho Khao' (white reverend father). In front of this building stands a large brick chedi in Ayutthaya style on a square base.

Fragments of old sandstone Buddha images dating back to the Ayutthaya era can be seen in the northern vihara.

History

Wat Sam Wihan appears several times in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya, as the monastery was strategically positioned facing the northeastern point of Ayutthaya called Hua Ro. During the White Elephant War (1563-1564 CE), Burmese King Bayinnaung (reign 1550-1581 CE), with four divisions, led his forces across Kanchanaburi and, upon reaching Ayutthaya, erected his royal stockade at Kum Dong (5). On the third day, he crossed the Pho Sam Ton Fields and advanced to the Phaniat Plain, where he set up his headquarters at Wat Sam Wihan.

“Three days later, the King of Hongsawadi took his seat on the royal mount, the elephant Kracom Thòng, led his royal forces forth from the stockade and, passing through Pho Sam Ton, advanced by way of the Phaniat Plain. He stationed his elephant at Sam Phihan Monastery and commanded the Maha Uparacha to drive his men in to attack the Capital ruthlessly. So, Phraya Ram had the Narai Sanghan Cannon loaded into the Mai Rak Mæ Nang Junk and taken up to fire at the stockade of the King of Hongsawadi. The cannon kicked and embedded itself in the stern of the junk. The cannonball rose to hit a great holy Banyan tree branch, over three kam thick, which broke and fell about three wa from the elephant of the King of Hongsawadi. At that moment, the men manning the Maha Chai Fort fired a salvo from their cannons and killed many Hongsawadi soldiers who were unable to capture the Capital. The King of Hongsawadi returned to his pavilion." [1]

Wat Sam Wihan is also mentioned as a location where Cambodian troops were positioned in an attack on Ayutthaya in 1570 CE. Cambodian incursions into Siam during the reign of King Chan Reachea (1516-1566 CE) began after the Siamese-Burmese war of 1548/9 CE. After the Burmese captured Ayutthaya in 1569 CE, Siam became a vassal of Burma. The Cambodians under King Barom Reachea I (1521-1576 CE) saw new opportunities in the weakened Siamese and relaunched several offensives against Siam, recapturing the northwest provinces. Based on the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya, the Cambodians attempted an unsuccessful attack on Ayutthaya in 1570 CE. The Cambodians repeatedly took advantage of the Siamese's weakened state. They invaded Siam six times over the next two decades (1570, 1575, 1578, 1582 twice, and 1587 CE), each time sweeping up war captives from the prosperous eastern and gulf provinces from Chanthaburi to Phetburi to populate their territory. [2]

"Meanwhile, the King of Lawæk advanced with his army to the Capital and Royal Metropolis of Ayutthaya and encamped his army in the vicinity of Kathum Village. At that moment, the King ordered Müang Nakhòn Phrom and the three thousand troops of the men of Hongsawadi to man the positions on the front wall, and all the high-ranking officials of the provincial cities to examine and post soldiers to the positions on the walls and at intervals around the Royal Metropolis. The King of Lawæk advanced with his army and halted his elephant in Sam Phihan Monastery. And the enemy troops were posted at intervals to Rong Khòng Monastery and Kuti Thòng Monastery. Then they brought about thirty elephants and halted them in Na Phra Meru Rachikaram Monastery with about four thousand men. The King of Lawæk had soldiers board five boats and cross the river to attack Prince Sanuk’s corner of the wall. The King proceeded there and, halting his palanquin, sent his soldiers up to fight. The enemy being vanquished, the King then ordered a carong cannon fired on the enemy elephants which were standing in Sam Phihan Monastery. Phra Campathirat, who was the [commander of the] vanguard of the King of Lawæk, was hit and killed on the neck of his elephant. The King of Lawæk withdrew and returned to his army at Kathum Village. Three times they advanced to attack in that way but were unsuccessful. So the King of Lawæk, ending the campaign and returning, swept up the families in the vicinity of the villages in the paddy fields and in Nakhòn Nayok and took them to Lawæk. At that time the King of Lawæk repeatedly organized troops to scout about, both by land and by boat, and the inhabitants of Canthabun, the inhabitants of Rayòng, the inhabitants of Chachoengsao and farmers were speedily lost to the Lawæk enemy in great numbers." [3]

Just before the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 CE, Burmese forces set up an enclosure in front of Wat Sam Wihan and used this strategic location to launch an assault on the Maha Chai Fortress. From this headquarters, they decided to dig tunnels to mine the city wall at this site. The tunnelling occurred southeast of Wat Mae Nang Pluem, on the north bank of the Khlong Mueang, where some remains of the defences, the Burmese mounds, still can be seen (6). Fifty meters south of the footbridge leading from Wat Mae Nang Pluem over Khlong Mueang to the Hua Ro market is more or less the position where the Burmese mined the city wall, next to the Maha Chai Fortress. The fortress was situated where today the main entrance of the covered Hua Ro market is. (7)

"The general of the armies thereupon had the army masters and brigade masters of the stockades at the Monastery of the Three Preaching Hall, the Monastery of the Holy Red Funeral Monument and the Monastery of the Spired Building conscript troops of soldiers and advance forward to build a bamboo slat bridge across the Mother of Waters at the Head of the Sluice beside the Fort of Grand Victory. They brought boards of Palmyra wood and set them up to form Dutch stockades to screen both sides of the bridge and offer protection from the guns of the inhabitants of the Holy Metropolis. Then they advanced their troops across the bamboo slat bridge to the banks beside the walls of the municipality and had them establish a stockade beside the Pavilion of Earth outside the walls. Then they had them dig a tunnel curving lengthwise under the foundations of the walls and had them haul in firewood and place it under the foundations." [4]

Simon de La Loubère mentions Wat Sam Wihan in his book “A new Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam”. The writings concern a Mon from Pegu, who self-immolated himself at this temple due to a family dispute. He sat cross-legged and smeared a kind of gum over his entire body. After he ignited the fire and his body thoroughly charred, his mother had it coated with plaster, and a gilded statue was made from it. This image was put behind the main Buddha image in the ubosot of Wat Sam Wihan.

“'Tis about six or seven years since a Peguin burnt himself, in one of the temples, which the Peguins at Siam have called Sam Pihan. He seated himself crossleg'd and besmear'd his whole body, with very thick oil, or rather with a sort of gum, and set fire thereunto. 'T was reported that he was very much discontented with his family, which nevertheless lamented exceedingly about him. After the fire had smother'd and roasted him well, his body was covered with a kind of plaister and thereof they made a statue which was gilded and put upon the altar, behind that of the Sommona Codom. They call these sorts of saints Pra Tian Tee, Tian signifies true, Tee signifies certainly.” [5]

Sramana, of which Sommona is a derivative, meant initially, in the language of the Brahmins, a man who performed hard penance, from ‘sram’ to work hard, etc. When it became the name of the Buddhist ascetics, the language had changed, and ‘sramana’ was pronounced ‘Samana’. The explanation commonly given in European works on Buddhism as ‘Sramana’, meaning "one who tames the senses, or has quieted the evil in him." is wrong and stems from another Sanscrit root, 'sam,' to quiet, which in Pali becomes likewise ‘sam,' and from this root, 'sam,' to quiet, and not from 'sram,' to tire. [6]

Codom is a derivative name of Gautama [Gotama], a name of "one of the ancient Vedic bard-families" (Oldenberg). According to Buddhist legend, it is the surname of the Sakya tribe from which the Buddha Sakya Muni sprang. The Sommona-codom of many old narratives represents the Pali form of S'ramaṇa Gautama, "The Ascetic Gautama." [7]

‘Pra Tian Tee’, as de La Loubère writes, likely stands for ‘Phra Thiang Thae’, whereby Phra [พระ] is a monk (priest) and Thiang Thae [เที่ยงแท้] means "definitely, certainly".

Wat Sam Wihan is at the geographical coordinates: 14° 22' 13.54" N, 100° 34' 20.88" E.

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 Sam Wihan in early December 1966 CE. The following is a report from his site visit.

"Leaving Wat Mae Nang Pluem, head east along the road until you reach Wat Sam Wihan. Crossing the large bridge is convenient. Previously, to reach this temple, you had to cross the river at the ferry pier at Hua Ro and then walk a long distance.

Wat Sam Wihan has three viharas (chapels) arranged in a row. The one on the south side is the main chapel, which has been renovated. Only the large, fine-grained grey slate boundary markers remain, eight pairs of which are similar in shape to the large boundary markers at Wat Maha That. Everything is different except that Wat Sam Wihan has very large boundary markers, measuring 1.49 x 0.97 x 0.17 m. The base of the boundary marker alone measures 1.03 m. The base is 24 cm high. These are understood to be boundary markers from the early Ayutthaya period, made during the time of Khun Luang Phangua or perhaps during the time of King Uthong. It is probably no earlier than that.

Behind the central vihara, whose walls have been demolished and only the Buddha image remains, is a large Lanna-style pagoda, similar in shape and size to the pagoda at Wat Mae Nang Pluem. The base of the pagoda features two similar linear patterns, differing only in the absence of the lion decorations around it. The reclining Buddha vihara has been completely restored along with the Buddha image. All three viharas face the canal to the west. In front of the reclining Buddha vihara is a late Ayutthaya-era pagoda, a Lanna-style pagoda with a tall, elongated bell-shaped dome and a base with lion-legged supports. There are signs of restoration during the Rattanakosin period. The pagoda is of the Phra Chao Borommakot style or perhaps even later it has been copied with details to serve as an example for future generations.

The bell-shaped dome is elongated, with stucco reliefs of lotus clusters beneath it. This pagoda is reminiscent of the large pagoda at Wat Phichai Songkhram (Wat Nok) in Samut Prakan province, a late Ayutthaya period pagoda, with an almost identical shape. The bell-shaped dome features stucco reliefs resembling hanging garlands, adorning its perimeter. The base is 1.40 meters high, with twelve corners, while the pagoda base has twenty corners. Three tiers of lion's legs (or lion-legs) adorn the base, each slender and elegant. A stucco wall surrounds the base, lined with square pillars at each corner, each with a decorative finial. This pagoda style greatly influenced early Rattanakosin art, differing mainly in the preference for twelve-cornered pagodas during the early Rattanakosin period. However, the decorative arrangements, the placement of the lotus clusters beneath the dome, and the three tiers of lion's legs are similar, as is the twelve-cornered base with its surrounding wall. The lion's legs measure 45 centimetres in height, which is surprisingly tall and somewhat unsightly. The stucco reliefs surrounding the pagoda do not yet appear to be from the late Ayutthaya period. Or was it repaired in the early Rattanakosin period? Because the art styles of these two eras are so similar that it's almost impossible to distinguish them." [8]

Footnotes:

(1) Khlong Hua Ro is situated off the city island in the northern area, north of Hua Ro Sub-district. The canal is the western border of the Suan Phrik Sub-district and the eastern border of the Lum Phli and Khlong Sra Bua sub-districts. The old Lopburi River bed ran from Wat Khao Din (Wat Wora Nayok Rangsan) in Bang Pahan District towards the city of Ayutthaya and is now divided into four stretches: Khlong Ban Muang from Wat Muang until Wat Dao Khanong in Bang Pahan District Khlong Bang Khuat (a shortcut canal in the Lopburi River loop) from Wat Dao Khanong to (south of) Wat Klang Raman in Ayutthaya City District Khlong Hua Ro from (north of) Wat Pom Raman to Hua Ro in Ayutthaya City District.

(2) Khlong Mueang, or the City Canal, is a stretch of the old Lopburi River on the northern side of Ayutthaya's city island. Many people believe it is a manufactured canal. The Lopburi River, descending from the north, ran around the city during the Ayutthaya period and joined the Chao Phraya River near Bang Sai (below Bang Pa-In). Khlong Mueang is a remnant from that time. Today, the canal starts at Hua Ro and exits at the confluence with the Chao Phraya River near Hua Laem.

(3) 'Phihan' is the old Siamese writing for a vihara ('wihan'). Another example is the word 'Taphan', a bridge, today written as 'Saphan'.

(4) Tamnan is a term frequently used for documents dealing with the history of Buddhism or particular Buddhist monuments. It came into existence well before the 15th century, and though it began to decline in the 17th century, its influence lasted until the 18th century. Tamnan histories begin when the Gautama Buddha vowed to reach enlightenment. [Reference: Kasetsiri, Charnvit (1976). The Rise of Ayudhya. Oxford University Press. London.]
(5) Kum Dong is likely Ban Khum in Bang Ban District. North of Ban Khum, near Wat Tha Sutthawat, was a river crossing used by the armies.
(6) The Chinese used two earthen mounds in front of Wat Mae Nang Pluem as burial mounds. These mounds are the last witnesses of the 1767 CE tragedy.

(7) The book "Our Wars with the Burmese", written by Prince Damrong Rajanubhap (1917) and re-edited by White Lotus, Bangkok, in 2000, features a map on pages xlii-xliii which indicates the spot where the Burmese demolished the city walls of Ayutthaya.

References:

[1] Cushman, Richard D. & Wyatt, David K. (2006). The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. Bangkok: The Siam Society. p. 35.
[2] Wyatt, David K. (2003). Thailand: A short history (2nd Ed.). Silkworm Books.
[3] Cushman, Richard D. & Wyatt, David K. (2006). The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. Bangkok: The Siam Society. p. 77.
[4] Ibid. p. 520.
[5] Loubère, Simon (de la) (1693). A New Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam (2 Tomes). London. Edited by John Villiers. Bangkok: White Lotus, 1986.
[6] Alabaster, Henry (1871). The Wheel of The Law. London: Trubner & Co., pp 203-4.
[7] Yule, Henry, Sir (1903). Hobson-Jobson: A glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and phrases, and of kindred terms, etymological, historical, geographical and discursive. New ed. edited by William Crooke, B.A. London: J. Murray.

[8] Uluchada, Prayoon aka Noh Na Paknam (2527). Five Months in the Midst of Ayutthaya's Brick Rubble. (Hā Dư̄an Klāng Sākʻit Pūn Thī ʻAyutthayā). Bangkok.

AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH

WAT SAM WIHAN

(Pavilion on the location of the former central vihara – February 2015 CE)

(The main Buddha image in the ordination hall - southern pavilion - Picture taken February 2015 CE)

(The Lanna-style pagoda with a tall, elongated bell-shaped dome and a base with lion-legged supports at Wat Sam Wihan – February 2022 CE)

(The reclining Buddha in the northern pavilion - February 2022 CE)

(The large boundary markers of Wat Sam Wihan – April 2012 CE)

Selected PICTURES

Pictures taken April 2007 CE

Pictures taken December 2009 CE

Pictures taken April 2012 CE

Pictures taken February 2015 CE

PICTURES OUT OF THE OLD SHOEBOX

MAPS

When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
(Alexis de Tocqueville)

HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA

© 2009-2026
All rights reserved