The last King of Ayutthaya meet his end
Prince Damrong Rajanubhab gives another historical fact in relation to Wat Sangkhawat. The night the Burmese entered the city of Ayutthaya on 7 April 1767 CE, King Ekathat (2) was smuggled out of the Grand Palace by his royal pages, put into a small boat and brought to Chik Village near the Sangkhawat Monastery.
“The Holy Lord of the Realm, however, fled forth from the municipality, went on board a small boat with two pages, and went to hide in a grove of trees close to the Village of the Cik Trees beside the Monastery of the Hermitage of the Monks. The pages accordingly abandoned Him and fled off elsewhere, and His Holiness starved all by Himself.” [4]
There, the pages, afraid to fall into the hands of the Burmese, left him alone. After the retreat of the Burmese army, the rear guard discovered him in the village. King Ekathat was out of food for more than ten days. The Burmese brought him to the fortification at Pho Sam Ton, where he died shortly after.
“Before many days were over after the retreat of the Burmese, the Burmese found King Somdet Phrachao Ekathat at Chik village. At that time he had had no food whatever for more than ten days. When he was taken to the fortification of Pho Sam Ton, he died there. It appears that Suki remembered the good act performed by the King of Siam while he remained formerly under the king’s protection. He accordingly took the body of the king and buried it at a mound in the cremation grounds opposite the Phra Mongkhonbophit temple which was used for the cremation of members of the royal family in the palace grounds of the old capital of Siam, intending to cremate the body when he had some respite from government work.” [5]
The last king of Ayutthaya was buried in the grounds east of Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, a royal cremation ground established in the reign of King Songtham (1610/1611?-1628 CE). After the fall of Ayutthaya, King Taksin retrieved the remains of King Ekathat and organised a stately royal cremation for the dead king. (3)
The remaining mound of Wat Sangkhawat is in geographical coordinates: 14° 19' 36.80" N, 100° 35' 14.20" E.