WAT KHAE 3 (วัดแค) |
Wat Khae or the Monastery of the Trumpet Tree (1) is located off the city island in the northern area at Khlong Sra Bua sub-district in a field named Thung Kaeo. The village is called Ban Rang Khae. Wat Lamut and Wat Phisua stood in its immediate vicinity. The closest active temple - Wat Khrutharam - is situated at its northwest side. The temple was located on the west bank of the old Lopburi River, presently called Khlong Hua Ro. The monastery consists of four principal pagodas, an ordination hall (ubosot), two vihara, some small pagodas and other buildings surrounded by a wall. All buildings have been restored several times. The most northern vihara (indicated No 2) was a rectangle building 37 m long by 11 m width. The entry was situated at the north via a porch. Around the building was a gallery supported by pillars. There are no indications in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya when exactly the temple was built. Archaeological research situates the construction of the temple in the Early Ayutthaya period (1350 - 1485). The temple was abandoned during the war of 1766-1767 and sacked by the Burmese. The revered monk Luang Pu Thuad resided at Wat Khae for a while. He was the favorite priest of King Ekathotsarot (r. 1605-1620) and was bestowed upon the Sangkha title of "Somdet Phra Rajamuni Samiramagunupamacarya", the highest rank ever given to any other monk before in Siam. [1] The restored ruin of Wat Khae is located in Geo Coord: 14° 22' 32.73" N, 100° 33' 44.86" E. Footnotes: (1) Bignoniaceae. References: [1] http://zapmonster.blogspot.com/2007/06/story-of-luang-pu-thuad.html. |
Text & photographs by Tricky Vandenberg - January 2009 Updated June 2014 |
(View from the road) |
(Toppled umbrella of a chedi) |
(View of chedi in situ) |
(Detail of a 2007 Fine Arts Department GIS map - Courtesy of the Fine Arts Department - 3th Region) |