| WAT KRAJOM (วัดกระโจม) |
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| Text & maps by Tricky Vandenberg - May 2009 Updated February 2014 |
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| Wat Krajom or the Monastery of the Tent was located off the city island in the eastern area of Ayutthaya in Hua Ro sub-district, just opposite Ko Loi. The temple stood at the mouth of Khlong Wat Pradu and Khlong Sai, a small canal before linking the old Pa Sak River (1) with the Front City Canal; which became last century the new Pa Sak riverbed. There are no visible traces remaining at ground level. Houses have been built in situ. Its period of construction is unknown. The monastery appears on Phraya Boran Rachathanin’s map of 1926 and is mentioned two times in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. In 1699 King Phetraja (r. 1688-1703) was called to interfere in the affairs of Luang Phrabang, disturbed for several years owing to the claims of various rival princes to the throne. One of the princes called in the help of Siam offering to cement the alliance by the gift of his beautiful daughter. King Phetraja sent in his army, but prior its arrival all Lao parties reached an understanding. The beautiful Princess was sent to Ayutthaya as promised. [1] She arrived in a barge by way of the Canal of the Ficus Rows (2) and at the Monastery of the Tent, she ascended the embankment. Luang Sorasak, the Uparat, requested King Phetraja that the lady would be kept at his palace, what was agreed upon. [2] "When she arrived at the Monastery of the Tent, she would have turned and ascended towards the embankment. just then the Supreme Holy Lord Omnipotent, the Department of the Holy Royal Palace Enclosure of Excellence, issued a holy command to have [His men] come to take the holy royal daughter of the Capital of Glorious Sattanakhanahut up to be kept at the Holy Royal Palace Enclosure of Excellence. Then His Majesty came down in [CF: holy royal] procession right to the Holy Royal Palace Enclosure of the Crown, ascended for an audience with the Supreme Holy Buddhist Crown Lord and prostrated Himself to speak to His Holy Compassion and beg His holy royal permission to keep the lady at the Holy Royal Palace Enclosure of Excellence. The King thereupon manifested His holy compassion by being pleased to give her as a holy royal gift to the Supreme Holy Lord Child in accordance with His holy royal preference." [3] During the last Burmese war (1766-1767) the Monastery of the Tent was one of the locations where the General of the Burmese armies, Nemiao, ordered the building of a to the fall of Ayutthaya in April 1767. [4] "Meanwhile, Nemiao, the general of the armies in the stockade at the Three Fig Trees, thereupon; had the Burmese troops advance to set fire to and burn down that Palace at the Elephant Corrals. Then he had them set up stockades at the Elephant Corrals, at the Monastery of the Holy Red Funeral Monument, at the Monastery of the Three Preaching Halls, at the Monastery of the Spired Building; at the Monastery of the Tent, at the Monastery of the Lady Nun, at the Monastery of the Jubilant Lady and at the Monastery of the Glorious Fig, and he had them erect bastions in each and every stockade, take large; and small guns up into them, and fire them off into the Capital." [4] The site is located in Geo Coord: 14° 21' 49.52" N, 100° 34' 51.19" E. Footnotes: (1) The old Pa Sak River ran before through Khlong Om, Khlong Hantra, Khlong Dusit and Khlong Khao San. (2) Khlong Pho Sam Ton, being before the old Lopburi River encircling the city of Ayutthaya in earlier times. References: [1] A History of Siam - William A.R. Wood (1924) - page 222. [2] The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya - Richard D. Cushman (2006) - page 330 / Source: Phan Canthanumat. [3] The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya - Richard D. Cushman (2006) - page 365 / Source: British Museum, Reverend Phonnarat & Royal Autograph - Luang Sorasak Pilfers the Vientiane Princes. [4] The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya - Richard D. Cushman (2006) - page 517 / Source: Royal Autograph - Burmese Complete Their Encirclement of Ayutthaya. |
| (Detail of Phraya Boran Rachathanin's map - Anno 1926) |
| (Detail of a 2007 Fine Arts Department GIS map - Courtesy of the Fine Arts Department - 3th Region) |
