| WAT NOK 2 (วัดนก) |
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| Wat Nok or the Monastery of the Bird was located on the city island in the southwestern area in Pratu Chai Sub-district. It was situated in the present Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park; the latter being part of the Ayutthaya Historical Park. The site of the former monastery is accessible via U-Thong road. The monastery belonged to a cluster of temples located along a canal, connecting Wat Luang Chi Krut with Wat Chao Prap, running parallel with the city’s defense wall. This cluster of temples was located in a residential area in the reign of King Chakkraphat (r. 1548-1569) also called the Lord of the White Elephants. Thianracha (Chakkraphat), before ascending the throne, had his princely residence in the area. The area was before important, as most of the palace officials and high ranked persons were living on both sides of the Chao Phraya River between Wat Phutthaisawan and Wat Chai Watthanaram. The last traces above ground level of this temple probably disappeared when the Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park was constructed. Only a large grass field remains. Its historical background and exact period of construction are not known, although it is very likely that the former monastery was built in the Middle Ayutthaya period. Wat Nok is indicated on a mid-19th century map in a different position as Phraya Boran Rachathanin (PBR) does on his 1926 map. Wat Nok is situated on the oldest map, northwest of Wat Luang Chi Krut, north of the Wang Chai Fortress and northeast of Khlang (Wat) Wang Chai; while on PBR's map Wat Nok is situated more east of Wat Wang Chai, in between Wat Sing Sai and Wat Saiya. The oldest map indicates no presence of a chedi nor prang. Wat Nok must have been situated in approx. Geo Coord: 14° 20' 29.42" N, 100° 33' 7.11" E. |
| Text & maps by Tricky Vandenberg - September 2009 Updated April 2011, January 2015 |
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| (Detail of Phraya Boran Rachathanin's map - Anno 1926) |
| (Detail of a 19th century map - map is orientated S-N) |
| (Detail of a 2007 Fine Arts Department GIS map - Courtesy of the Fine Arts Department - 3th Region) |
