WAT SAMO





Wat Samo, or the Monastery of the Anchor, was a monastery situated off the city island in the eastern area of Ayutthaya in the Suan Phlu Sub-district.


The temple was located on the east bank of a canal running south along the present Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon premises and which was originated at the confluence of Khlong Dusit (1) and Khlong Khao San (2). This canal - Khlong Thanon Tan (3) - was likely the western moat around Wat Yai. Wat Samo stood as thus in the northwestern corner of what was possibly, in earlier times, an old Khmer sanctuary.


The site is not indicated on a 19th-century map, nor Phraya Boran Rachathanin's map drafted in 1926 CE and features only on a FAD 1974 CE and FAD 1993 CE map.


The monastery's historical background and period of construction are unknown.


The old texts recount that inhabitants from Ang Thong, Lopburi, Inburi, Phromburi, Singburi, Sanburi (4) and Suphanburi brought in paddy by boats and moored in front of Wat Samo, Wat Khanun and Wat Khanan, where they sold their merchandise. The local villagers near these three temples set up rice mills. The milled rice was sold in the city and to the local Chinese liquor distillers at Pak Khao San village. In the season when the junks set sail for China, milled rice was sold as provisions for the junks. [1]





(The commemoration shrine of Wat Samo in 2009 CE)



Wat Samo is now buried under Road No 3477, passing Wat Yai more or less in front of its parking lot. A commemoration vihara for Wat Samo has been built on the west side of the road.


A villager living near the vihara stated that before Road No 3477 leading to Bang Pa-In was built, a canal existed in front of Wat Samo called Khlong Wat Samo. If this was indeed the case, then this canal could have been the western moat of Wat Yai and leading to Wat Bot Daeng. [2]


The commemoration pavilion of Wat Samo is in geographical coordinates: 14° 20' 48.67" N, 100° 35' 28.47" E.


Footnotes:


(1) Khlong Dusit flows through the Phai Ling Sub-district. Like Khlong Hantra, Khlong Kramang and Khlong Khao San, this canal was likely once a stretch of the Pa Sak River.

(2) Khlong Khao San, or the Canal of the Milled Rice, flows on the border between Phai Ling and Suan Phlu sub-districts. It links Khlong Dusit with the Pa Sak River. At par with Khlong Hantra, Khlong Kramang and Khlong Dusit, this canal was probably once a stretch of the Pa Sak River. This canal is also referred to as Khlong Ko Kaeo.

(3) Khlong Thanon Tan or the Canal of the Sugar Road. It flows through the Kramang and Suan Phlu sub-districts. The canal links Khlong Khao San with Khlong Suan Phlu and the Pa Sak River and probably gave access earlier to Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. No monasteries were situated along its banks. The canal forms an island called "Ko Kaeo" or "Crystal Island", with a stretch of the Pa Sak River and Khlong Khao San. Ko Kaeo was an important battleground during the wars with the Burmese. The canal is filled in and is only used as a water drainage canal (heavily polluted).

(4) At present, Sankha Buri in Chai Nat province is a historic site located on the old Chao Phraya River, today the Noi River, and dates to the Sukhothai period. Before the Ayutthaya period (1351-1767 CE), the town was known as Phraek Sri Racha (Mueang Phraek) and was built by King Lerthai in 1317 CE. The town was in the 15th century under Ayutthaya, as Chao Yi Phraya, second son of King Intharacha (reign 1409-1424 CE) of the Suphannaphum dynasty, was named ruler of this city by his father. Thus, Mueang San was a Mueang Luk in the early Ayutthaya period. The town was likely already occupied in the Dvaravati Period (6 - 11th Century) and followed by Khmer rule (10-12th century) before becoming a frontier city of Sukhothai. It was an important defensive post in both the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya Kingdoms.


References:


[1] Pongsripian, Vinai, Dr. (2007). Phanna phumisathan Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya: Ekasan jak Ho Luang. Geographical description of Ayutthaya: Documents from the palace. Bangkok: Usakane. pp. 89-90.

[2] Interview with a local on 1 February 2012 adjacent to the shrine of Wat Samo.