AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



WAT PHRA NON JAK SRI





“The reclining Buddha at Wat Phra Non Jak Sri, sixteen fathoms long”


In the "Testimony of the King from Wat Pradu Songtham," eight sacred places are listed outside the city of Ayutthaya, which have been the glory of the capital since ancient times. [1] One of these eight places is Wat Phra Non Jak Sri (1), which features a reclining Buddha 47 meters long. The image of Phra Non Jak Sri is said to predate the Ayutthaya era (1351-1767 CE).


Phra Non Jak Sri and the ancient city of Singh Puri


According to legend, Phra Chao Kaison (2), son of King Phromma the Great (3), built Singh Puri (Lion City) in 1107 CE. [2]


Rohanadeera, in one of his papers, formulates the hypothesis that a prince from a royal family in Central Thailand married a daughter of Parakramabahu the Great, King of Sri Lanka (4). In the inscriptions of King Nissankamalla (1187-1196 CE), the latter mentions that he came from Sinhapura in Kalinga (5) at the invitation of Parakramabahu I and was trained in the sciences. Having held high offices in succession, he ascended the throne. In his inscriptions, we find references to Kamboja Desa, known at the time as the lower Maenam basin, which refers to the regions of Sukhothai, Lopburi, and Ayodhya during the period when the Khmer Empire flourished. As a foreigner, he was able to rule Sri Lanka for over nine years without any significant disturbance. [3]





(The reclining Buddha of Wat Phra Non Jak Sri – Picture taken August 2013 CE)



There are two Singha Puri or "Lion Cities" in Central Thailand. The first is Mueang Singh in Kanchanaburi Province, dating back to the 12th century, which coincides with the period of King Nissankamalla. The second one is Singh Puri, located in the present-day Sing Buri province, which was the supposed capital of central Thailand during the Dvaravati period, from the 7th to the 11th century. Rohanadeera wrote that Ayodhya annals (6) refer to this place as Phra Nagara Singhapura, indicating that it was once a Royal City. Wat Na Phra That (7) and Wat Phra Non Jak Sri bear witness to a considerable ancient city pre-dating Ayutthaya.


Phra Non Jak Sri is connected with the Mahavamsa, the Chronicle of Sri Lanka. The statue is said to have been built by Sinhabahu, who figures in the first part of the Vijaya story, to expiate his sin of killing his father, the lion. Afterwards, he and his sister, Sinhasivali, returned to their ancestral land and built a city they called Sinhapura. Rohanadeera wrote that:


"Vijaya, the son of Sinhabahu, was the legendary founder of the Sinhala race. In Nissankamalla‘s inscriptions he emphasises repeatedly that he belonged to the lineage of Vijaya, who colonised Sri Lanka, and became the first king of the Sinhalese, and for that reason Nissankamalla had a legitimate right to rule the Island. Thus, the Sinhabahu folk tale attached to Wat Phra Non Chaksi in Singburi and Nissankamalla's claim to the Lanka throne through the Vijaya dynasty seem to support the proposition that Sinhapura of Nissankamalla could be Singburi in Central Siam." [3]





(The head of the reclining Buddha of Wat Phra Non Jak Sri – Picture taken February 2018 CE)



The Lion City, also known as Singh Puri, is likely a legend, with the Lion being the father of Sinhabahu and Sinhasivali, the latter's son being Viaya and King Nissankamalla. However, there may have been a spark of truth in the connection to Siam. In Robert Knox's "The History of Ceylon", we find, in the paragraph on Singhalese history as it is represented in their annals and traditions, that Vigea Raja [Vijaya], descended from a dominion in Siam, arrives in Ceylon and founds the dynasty of the Singhalese emperors.

"This Vigea Raja, one of the progeny of the sun [Suriya], is said to have made the first discovery of the Island of Ceylon, in the year of the world 1996. Accounts differ as to the part of the coast where he effected his first landing but it is said that he disembarked with 700 men and, having proceeded to form a settlement at some distance from the shore, became the first sovereign of the island. The most learned amongst the Singalese report that Vigea Raja was the son of a king of Tillingo, which borders upon Tanassery, and is a dependence upon the dominion of Siam. The priests, or astrologers, who read his history in the mirror of the stars, declared to his father, that, if he were suffered to remain in the kingdom he would, one day, prove the source of great public disturbance, or general distress and his father accordingly, after mature deliberation with his wise men, ordered him to quit the kingdom, and, with a certain number of followers, to go in quest of some other place of abode. As soon as Vigea Raja arrived in Ceylon, he gave out that he was of royal extraction, but of the race of the sun, and the son of a lion. The oldest inhabitants of the island, at that time, along with the Malabars, worshipped the sun as their supreme god, under the denomination of Eswara and they had so much respect for the professions of this foreign prince, that they immediately chose him for their king." [4]





(Row of Buddha images in the main vihara - statue - August 2013 CE)



Singh Puri, an ancient city at the crossing of waters?

West of Wat Phra Non Jak Sri are the ruins of Wat Na Phra That. South of it stands the large stupa of Wat Phra Kaeo, known as Phra Chedi Klang Thung. According to locals, this area is said to contain several ruins and bear the marks of a former settlement. Except for the main points of interest, no extensive research or excavation has been scheduled in the area by the Fine Arts Department until today.

North and adjacent to Wat Phra Non Jak Sri and Wat Na Phra That, we find stretches of water, likely remnants of an old shallow waterway, referred to in some documents as the Chakra Sri River. This stretch of water must have linked the present Noi and Chao Phraya Rivers. Locals refer to it as Khlong Bang Ton Pho.

On the François Valentyn map of the Me-Nam (1724-26 CE), we find a reference to Wat Phra Non Jak Sri (Wat Pu noont Jaksie), the first important site encountered when leaving the city of Ayutthaya along the waters to the north. The representation depicts a large chedi (caitya) on a triple-square base, a large hall with a three-tiered roof, and several structures that appear to be connected on the left bank of the river however, this is incorrect, as the temple stands on the right bank of the defunct river. The next point of interest on Valentyn's map is "Tioen Krat" or present Choeng Klat on the Noi River, well known in the Ayutthaya era for its flourishing ceramic kiln sites.





(Detail of Wat Phra Non Jak Sri on Valentyn’s map "Groote Siamse Rievier Me-Nam Of Te Moeder Der Wateren In haren loop met de vallende Spruyten Verbeeld” – published in Oud en Nieuw Oost Indien - 1724-26 CE)



As Valentyn shows, Wat Phra Non Jak Sri is located on the main river (Me-Nam or Chao Phraya), which suggests that the so-called northern water route was not the route of the Chao Phraya River today. The old main route ran north of Ayutthaya (present-day Chao Phraya River), turned into the Chakra Sri River, bypassing the old city of Jak Sri (Singh Puri), and continued further up, joining the present Noi River, which bypassed Choeng Klat, San Buri, and Ban Chai Nat.


The old city of Sing Buri was said to be located in Pho Sang Kho Sub-district, Kai Bang Rachan, on the banks of the Noi River. Coincidentally, the ancient Chinese referred to Singh Puri as "Sang-ho Pu-lo".


In 1897 CE, in the reign of King Rama V, the city of Sing Buri was moved to Bang Phutsa on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. [5]





(Backside of the Phra Non Jak Sri statue - Picture taken August 2013 CE)



Phra Non Jak Sri and the Chronicles


The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya mention a visit of King Borommakot (reign 1733-1758 CE) in 1754 and 1756 CE to Wat Phra Non Jak Si. The chronicles seem to confirm that Phra Non Jak Sri was situated along a main waterway (the Minor River in the paragraph below is the Noi River). Based on both paragraphs, it is assumed that King Borommakot ordered a significant renovation, which took more than two years to complete.


"Arriving at the ninth day of the waning moon, His Majesty went in holy royal procession to venerate the Holy Reclining Buddha at the Monastery of the Holy Sleeper of the Glorious Wheel. He spent one night there and thereupon floated on along the Minor River. His Majesty ascended to venerate the Holy Reclining Buddha at the Monastery of Khun In Pramun." [6]


"Reaching 1118 of the Royal Era, a year of the rat, eighth of the decade, and arriving at - day, the eleventh day of the waning moon of the fifth month, His Majesty the Supreme Holy Buddhist Lord Omnipotent went up in holy royal procession by way of the water routes to dedicate the Holy Reclining Buddha at the Monastery of the Wheel of the Lion in a district of the Municipality of Singburi and had a festival to celebrate held for three days. Then His Majesty returned to the Holy Grand Metropolis." [7]





(The ceiling of the main vihara – Picture taken August 2013 CE)



Wat Phra Non Jak Sri


Wat Phra Non Jak Sri Worawihan is a royal temple of the third class, originally known as Wat Phra Non. Later it was called Wat Phra Non Chaksi to indicate its location as the temple of the reclining Buddha, because there were many temples with reclining Buddha in the vicinity, such as Wat Phra Non in In Buri District, Sing Buri Province, the reclining Buddha of Wat Khun Inthapramun, and the reclining Buddha of Wat Pa Mok, Ang Thong Province, etc. However, it was not possible to determine when it was referred to in this manner.


Phraya Boran Ratchathanin, in "Distances of the Royal Trips along the Small and Large Rivers of the Ayutthaya and Nakhon Sawan Provinces" (1912), assumed the reason for calling it Wat Phra Non Chaksi was that, approximately 1.2 km from the temple, there was another temple called Wat Chaksi. The names of both temples were the same, as Wat Pradu Rong Tham and Wat Tha Karong in Ayutthaya. (8)


In 1878 CE, on King Chulalongkorn’s visit to the site, the royal writings state:


"...At Wat Phra Non Chak Sri, thirty wa from the river, is a flooded area, so a road had to be built up and there was a bridge across. The temple grounds have a glass wall. In front of the chapel is a small old chapel at the end of the reclining Buddha vihara. Around the reclining Buddha vihara is a low glass wall. The vihara itself has no roof. Some of the walls and pillars have collapsed, but some remain. The Buddha image can be seen to have fallen from its upper part, crushed, and the legs have collapsed..."​





(The ubosot of Wat Phra Non Jak Sri – Picture taken August 2013 CE)



King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910 CE) ordered the restoration of the site, 124 years after the first restoration of Wat Phra Non Jak Sri by King Borommakot. Over the last century, numerous other restorations and renovations have taken place.


Inside the main vihara is a reclining Buddha statue, 1 sen 3 wa 2 sok 1 span 3 inches long (9), facing north with its head facing east. The image is considered one of the largest Buddha statues in Thailand. It is a stucco Buddha statue painted yellow. A round pillar with a lotus spire supports the halo. The ceiling is painted red with gold stars. The walls are painted white. There are eight windows on each side, with two at the entrance. The walls under the windows are decorated with marble. The floor is paved with marble. There is only one entrance on the west side. The two eastern sides are solid walls. The pillars inside the temple are square, 2 meters each, totaling 20 pillars, which were initially octagonal.


The eminent Thai historian, Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (1862-1943 CE), stated that the reclining Buddha at Jak Sri is larger than the others in Thailand and resembles the Indian Buddha image, such as the one at a cave (Tham Khuha Pimuk) in Yala province. He mentioned the characteristics of the reclining Buddha and assumptions in the royal letter dated 8 June 1933 CE as follows:


"...As for the old reclining Buddha, I have observed that it is truly an ancient level. The right hand is made leaning forward in the Indian style. I noticed one reclining Buddha in this cave in Yala and one reclining Buddha in Chak Sri. I think there must be others but I can't remember them now. The later reclining Buddhas have their elbows straight down from the head, such as the reclining Buddha at Wat Pa Mok and Wat Phra Chetuphon. They probably With the original reclining Buddha made to sleep in the open air, the second floor was made to have a chapel with the Buddha image, extending the elbows out go forward to block the pillars..." ​





(The reclining Buddha of Wat Phra Non Jak Sri – Picture taken August 2013 CE)



On the east side of the temple, eight stucco Buddha statues in the Mara-Vijaya posture are displayed on pedestal bases, with a Buddha statue in the Pa Lelai posture positioned in the center. These are sacred Buddha statues that the villagers also hold in high regard.


Two images were built during the reign of King Rama V to serve as the principal image at a ceremony for civil servants to swear an oath of allegiance to the king.


North, opposite the face of the Reclining Buddha, is a seated stone Buddha image, lacquered and gilded, with a lap width of approximately one cubit, wearing a robe with unusual and ancient petals, known as Phra Kan.


Another metal Buddha image, sitting in the diamond meditation posture, with a lap width of about one cubit, is beautiful and is called Phra Kaeo. (In the record of His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch Prince Vajirananavarorasa during his inspection of the Sangha from 1911 to 1917 CE, it is referred to as Phra Bang.)





(The Buddha images called Phra Kaeo and Phra Kan – Picture taken August 2013 CE)



At the feet of the Reclining Buddha, there is a marble slab inscribed with a brief history of the Reclining Buddha on one side and a royal memorial on the occasion when the Royal Family paid homage to the Reclining Buddha, Phra Kaeo, Phra Khan, and Phra Pa Lelai, and visited the people who came to pay their respects at Wat Phra Non Chaksi on 9 October 1976 CE.

The ordination hall is made of bricks and mortar, 6 wa 2 inches long, 3 wa 1 span 8 inches wide, much smaller than the vihara. The roof is in two levels, covered with glazed tiles there is no gable or ‘bai raka' decoration. An outer wall surrounds the ordination hall. The principal Buddha image in the ordination hall is a Buddha image in the Mara-Vijaya attitude, 2 cubits 2 inches wide on the lap and 4 cubits and 4 inches high, including the top of the halo, situated on a pedestal. In front of the principal Buddha image is a Buddha image called Phra Si Ariya in the center, flanked by stone Buddha images in the Naga Prok attitude, 1 cubit 3 inches wide on the lap and 1 cubit 2 inches high, situated on the same pedestal as the Buddha.

The site is located at the following geographical coordinates: 14° 51' 04.1" N, 100° 23' 18.1" E.




(The inscribed marble slab at Wat Phra Non Jak Sri – Picture taken August 2013 CE)



Footnotes:


(1) Jak Sri, Chak Sri, Chakra Sri, Chakkra Sri are different spellings meaning the "Magnificent Buddhist Wheel of Law".

(2) The source stated that he gave his name to the city, Kaison, meaning 'Lion' (Singh), but I found no evidence to support this claim.

(3) King Phrom (reign ca. 486-546 CE) was a legendary king and ruler of the Singhanavati (Yonok) realm in the Lanna region (modern northern Thailand) with its capital Yonok Nagaphan situated in the Chiang Saen area. He is the first Thai monarch dubbed "Maharaja" (the Great). His history is part of myths and folktales. His father was King Phangkarat. Phrom established a new town to be an outpost called Umongasela. He later renamed it Wiang Chai Prakan (present-day Wiang Chai District, Chiang Rai Province), a location upstream on the Kok River. He ruled Wiang Chai Prakan for 60 years until his death at the age of 77. His only son, Chaiyasiri (reign 546-606 CE), continued to ascend the throne.

(4) Parakramabahu the Great was the king of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, from 1153 to 1186 CE.

(5) Kalinga is a historical region of India. It is generally defined as the eastern coastal region between the Ganges and the Godavari rivers, present-day Odisha and northern parts of Andhra Pradesh. It doesn't rhyme with Central Thailand, but Rohanadeera explains that at the time Nissankamalla went to Sri Lanka, there was a strong Kalinga clan there, which had been built up over at least two centuries. Being a complete foreigner, Nissankamalla would have realised the advantage of leaning on Kalinga and Vijaya to win over the Kalinga clan and to strengthen his legitimacy.

(6) The annals are unknown to the author.

(7) Wat Na Phra That was previously known as Wat Srisa Mueang and was renamed during the reign of Rama IV. It was situated along the banks of the Jak Sri waterway in the vicinity of the old city of Sing Buri. The temple is constructed on a mound measuring 43 by 116 metres. Within the surrounding rectangular outer wall, there is a central prang with a vihara on the east and an ordination hall on the west. According to the archaeological evidence, the temple pre-dates the Ayutthaya period.

(8) Wat Pradu and Wat Rong Tham were two different temples. The names were merged into Wat Pradu Rong Tham. The latter is on the site of the old Wat Rong Tham. Wat Pradu is a brick mound north of the latter. We observe the same merging of names at Wat Tha Ka Rong, being before two temples: Wat Tha and Wat Ka Rong.

(9) 1 sen 3 wa 2 sok 1 span 3 inches is 47.33 meters [1 sen = 40 meters, 3 wa = 3 × 2 = 6 meters, 2 sok = 2 × 0.5 = 1 meter, 1 span = 0.25 meters, 3 inches = 3 × 0.0254 = 0.0762 meters. Adding these together: $$40 + 6 + 1 + 0.25 + 0.0762 = 47.3262 m.





(Old Buddha images at Wat Phra Non Jak Sri – Picture taken August 2013 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. p. 107.

[2] Abha Bhamorabutr (1981). Ancient Cities in Thailand. p. 61.

[3] Interpretation of source material for the study of relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand prior to the fourteenth century - M. Rohanadeera - Paper presented at the 12th conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA) held in Hong Kong, 1991. June 24-28.

[4] Robert Knox (1817). The History of Ceylon from the Earliest Period to the year MDCCCXV. London. pp 15-16.

[5] Abha Bhamorabutr (1981). Ancient Cities in Thailand. p. 61.

[6] Cushman, Richard D. & Wyatt, David K. (2006). The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. Bangkok: The Siam Society. p. 453.

[7] Ibid. p. 457.



Selected PICTURES



Pictures taken August 2013 CE



Selected PICTURES



Pictures taken February 2018 CE



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