Wat Dao Khanong, or the Monastery of the Wanton Stars, is an active monastery situated north of Ayutthaya in the Pho Sam Ton fields of Pho Sam Ton Sub-district of Bang Pahan in Ayutthaya Province.
The still active monastery is opposite the ruins of Wat Pho on the east bank of Khlong Ban Muang and the north bank of Khlong Chang, both stretches of the old Lopburi River (1).
Wat Dao Khanong was established at the end of the Ayutthaya era around 1757 CE as Wat Pak Khlong and received its boundary stones eight years later (1765 CE).
On the day of the inauguration of the ordination hall (พิธียกช่อฟ้า), many stars appeared in the sky, and the night was so bright that it looked daytime hence due to this event, the monastery was renamed Wat Dao Khanong.
The vihara houses a Buddha image called "Luang Pho Tho Wat Pak Khlong". The image has a lap of 4 meters and sits in the attitude "Conquest of Mara" (มารวิชัย).
Edward Van Roy, in his document "Safe Haven: Mon Refugees at the Capitals of Siam from the 1500s to the 1800s", suggests that Wat Dao Khanong is the corruption of "Dan Khanon" (2). The northern tax post was indeed situated about 300 meters south of the temple's location on Khlong Bang Khuat in front of Wat Tha Yak. Still, the history of the monastery (Tamnan) refutes this suggestion. [1]
The monastery has a wooden pavilion, which stood on the east bank of the old Lopbui River and turned into a kind of irrigation canal today called Khlong Ban Muang. The pavilion stands now isolated on the temple's premises about 50 metres away from the canal. It is a striking witness of the width of the former river altered by the construction of the Asian Highway in the second part of the 20th century, which cut through it.
The monastery is in geographical coordinates: 14° 24' 19.06" N, 100° 32' 51.61" E.
Footnotes:
(1) The old Lopburi River entered the Bangkok lowland in the Bang Pahan District. The waterway meandered in front of Wat Khao Din (Wat Wara Nayok Rangsan) in Pho Sam Ton Sub-district towards Wat Muang, passing Wat Pa Fai which was likely located on its right bank. The area here was altered mainly by the construction of the Asian Highway in the second part of the 20th century which cut through it. Near Wat Muang, we can find the remnants of the old river bed again. The waterway ran between Thung Ban Lao and Thung Pho Sam Ton towards Wat Tha Yak, near the northern royal tax station (both defunct). The stretch between Wat Muang and Wat Dao Khanong includes numerous old temple sites. Stretches of the old river can be seen left and right of the Wat Muang Canal, but much of the landscape has been altered due to landfilling. The old Lopburi River was until the early years of the 20th century, an important and heavily used waterway. The river connected the northern area of Ayutthaya with the Hua Ro Market on the northeastern corner of Ayutthaya City Island. The waterway between Wat Muang and the Hua Ro Market, sometimes called the Pho Sam Ton River, consists of three connected canals: Khlong Wat Muang, Khlong Bang Khuat and Khlong Hua Ro.(2) Dan = guard post Khanon = custom post, tax station.
References:
[1] Van Roy, Edward (2010). Safe Haven: Mon Refugees at the Capitals of Siam from the 1500s to the 1800s - Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 98. p. 158.
[2] http://www.watkhok.com/watstory/dowkanong.htm - retrieved 21 December 2012.
