Wat Khae, or the Monastery of the Trumpet Tree (1), is located off Ayutthaya’s city island in the northern area, in the Khlong Sra Bua Sub-district in a field named Thung Kaeo (2). The village is called Ban Rang Khae. Wat Lamut and Wat Phisua stood in the immediate vicinity. The closest active temple, Wat Khrutharam, is situated on its northwest side.
The temple was located on the west bank of the old Lopburi River, presently along a track called Khlong Hua Ro (3).
The monastery consists of four principal pagodas, an ordination hall (ubosot), two vihara, some small pagodas and other buildings surrounded by a wall. All buildings have been restored several times. The most northern vihara (indicated No 2) was a rectangular building 37 m long by 11 m in width. The entry was situated at the north via a porch. Around the building was a gallery supported by pillars.
There were no indications in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya when exactly the temple was built. Archaeological research situates the temple's construction in the early Ayutthaya period (1350-1485 CE). The temple was abandoned during the war with Burma in 1766-1767 CE and sacked by the Burmese.
The revered monk Luang Pu Thuad resided at Wat Khae for a while. He was the favourite priest of King Ekathotsarot (reign 1605-1620 CE). He got bestowed the Sangha title of "Somdet Phra Rajamuni Samiramagunupamacarya", the highest rank ever given to any other monk before in Siam. [1]
The restored ruin of Wat Khae is in geographical coordinates: 14° 22' 32.73" N, 100° 33' 44.86" E.
There were three more temples with the same name in Ayutthaya City District. The restored ruin of Wat Khae in the Historical Park, the active temple on Ko Loi in the Hua Ro Sub-district and a defunct temple in Wat Tum Sub-district.
Footnotes:
(1) Bignoniaceae.
(2) Thung Kaeo, or Crystal Field, is an area north of Ayutthaya bordered on the west and north by Khlong Sra Bua, on the east by Khlong Hua Ro, and on the south by Khlong Mueang.
(3) Khlong Hua Ro is situated off the city island in the northern area north of Hua Ro Sub-district. The canal is the western border of the Suan Phrik Sub-district and the eastern border of the Lum Phli and Khlong Sra Bua sub-districts. The old Lopburi River bed ran from Wat Khao Din (Wat Wora Nayok Rangsan) in Bang Pahan District towards the city of Ayutthaya and is now divided into four stretches Khlong Ban Muang from Wat Muang until Wat Dao Khanong in Bang Pahan District Khlong Bang Khuat (a short-cut canal in the Lopburi River loop) from Wat Dao Khanong to (south of) Wat Klang Raman in Ayutthaya City District Khlong Hua Ro from (north of) Wat Pom Raman to Hua Ro in Ayutthaya City District.
