WAT LAN PHO





Wat Lan Pho, or the Monastery of the Bodhi Tree Courtyard, was situated off the city island in the northern area of Ayutthaya, in the Phukhao Thong Sub-district.


The monastery stood south of the Phukhao Thong Reservoir, west of Wat Noi (a shrine along Road No 309, and northwest of Wat Monthop (mound). It was once situated within the defensive Khlong Maha Nak system (1).


Wat Lan Pho is a brick mound with a small shrine which contains a single seated Buddha image is the attitude of subduing Mara. A few small fragments of Buddha images can be noticed. Bricks, tiles, and pottery shards can be found in the area. There are no further traces of temple structures.


The history and establishment of this former monastery are unknown.


The temple site is not shown on Phraya Boran Rachathanin’s map of 1926 CE and is first mentioned on a Fine Arts Department map of 1993 CE.


Wat Lan Pho was in geographical coordinates: 14° 21' 49.98" N, 100° 32' 56.46" E.





Footnotes:


(1) Khlong Maha Nak is situated off Ayutthaya's city island in the northern area, in the Phukhao Thong Sub-district. The canal was dug during the Siamese-Burmese war of 1563-1564 CE called the "White Elephant War". The Maha Nak Canal ran from Wat Pa Phlu towards Khlong Phukhao Thong.