THE DRUM TOWER OF AYUTTHAYA





Ho Klong was a drum tower about 55 meters high, consisting of three stories, with each a drum. The structure stood in the centre of the city of Ayutthaya on Talaeng Kaeng Road (Four Ways Road). Its roof was arched and painted red. The drums were beaten to warn the population in case of fire, signal the approach of enemies or summon people for meetings.


Each storey had its function. Phra Thiwaratri, the drum on the first storey, was beaten to mark noon and to call up people for a public meeting at dusk according to the customs of the city.


When a fire was spotted, the drum called Phra Maha Rangap-phloeng on the middle storey was sounded. If a fire occurred outside the city, Phra Maha Rangap-phloeng was beaten three times. If the fire occurred at the foot of the city walls or in the city itself, the drum was beaten until the fire was extinguished.


The highest storey was used to watch the approaching enemy, on which the drum called Phra Maha Ruek was beaten.





(Detail of Johannes Vingboons map - 1665 CE)



The tower was manned by city officials who also had the task of maintaining the drums. The staff kept several cats at the tower to avoid rodents gnawing the large drums. To feed the cats, the staff collected a small fee (five cowries) from the shops at the market in front of the jail to buy grilled fish. The drum tower stood south of the prison.


The Ho Klong was sacred and possessed by a guardian spirit called Jao Ket (a Brahmanical deity to whom offerings were made when evils were to be averted, or success sought. The Jao Ket was a true spirit (phi), customary created by burying a suitable individual alive under the foundations of the drum tower to serve as a guardian angel. Today, we find Wat Ket near the location of the former drum tower.


The drum tower was, due to its height, a landmark of the city. The tower's location can be found on Engelbert Kaempfer's map drafted in 1690 CE, and a depiction of it can be found on Johannes Vingboons' map dating from 1665 CE.





(Detail of Engelbert Kaempfer's draft map - 1690 CE)



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.

[2] Quaritch Wales, H.G. (1931). Siamese State Ceremonies. Their history and function. London: Bernard Quaritch, Ltd. p. 103.





(Wat Ket in the Ayutthaya Historical Park, opposite the city shrine or Lak Mueang)