WAT PA KHONTHI





Wat Pa Khonthi, or the Monastery of the Water Pot Quarter (1), is a defunct temple located off the city island in the northern area of Ayutthaya in the Hua Ro Sub-district.


The monastery was situated between Wat Mae Nang Plum (active temple) and Wat Wihan Thong (ruin) on the east side of a road leading to a former village called Ban Mo. (2)


Historical data about the monastery and its construction are unknown.


The temple is mentioned in the ‘Testimony of Khun Luang Wat Pradu Songtham.’ The text says that there was a boat ferry existing from Wat Song, on Front Palace Elephant Stable Road in the city, across to Wat Pa Khonthi on Potters’ Village Road. (3)(4) [1] The same document also states a land market in front of Wat Pa Khonthi and that the village made and sold earthenware spittoons, flowerpots, candleholders, stoves, and various dolls in the shape of elephants and horses. [2]


The temple shows on a 19th-century map. Phraya Boran Rachathanin indicates the site as Wat Tha Khlong and probably links the monastery to the Herd Landing (Tha Khlong) of Iron Village near Wat Mae Nang Plum. Herd Landing Village had braziers for forging iron nails and cramps, large and small, for sale. [3]


The exact denomination of PBR was used in the 1957 and 1974 CE Fine Arts Department maps.


I conclude that Wat Pa Khonthi and Wat Tha Khlong are one and the same temple.


Wat Pa Khonthi must have been in approximately geographical coordinates: 14° 22' 1.60" N, 100° 34' 9.27" E.


Footnotes:


(1) Khonthi (Th) - vase-shaped water pot or jug. The word "pa" (ป่า) is usually translated as "forest", but in the Ayutthayan era, it also indicated a place where specific products were made and/or sold. Chris Baker translates it as "a quarter". [2]

(2) The road towards Ban Mo or Potter’s Village (บ้านม่อ) ran between Wat Mae Nang Plum and Wat Pa Khonthi and is indicated on a 19th-century map. The exact position of the village is unknown. Phraya Boran Rachathanin noted that Wat Khao Wua was situated behind Ban Mo but also wrote that the Iron Market behind Ban Mo was in line with Wat Mae Nang Plum. From excavations in the period 2000 - 2002 CE, we know that east of Wat Khruttharam, there was a production area of large earthen pots, jars, and massive storage vessels. We could thus conclude that Ban Mo stretched over both banks of Khlong Sra Bua.

(3) In Ayutthaya times, twenty-two ferry routes were between the mainland and the city island. In the northern area, the six other crossings were: Tha Nuea to Wat Khun Yuan, Tha Ma Ap Nam to Wat Choeng Tha, Tha Khan to Sala Trawen, Tha Sip Bia to Wat Pho, Wat Tha Sai to Wat Rong Khong and Tha Khun Nang to Wat Mae Nang Plum (Tha Khlong). [1]

(4) In the 16th century, before the expansion of Ayutthaya's city wall, elephants were kept in an area between Wat Song and Wat Khun Saen.


References:


[1] Baker, Chris (2014). Final Part of the Description of Ayutthaya with Remarks on Defense, Policing, Infrastructure, and Sacred Sites. Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 102.

[2] Baker, Chris (2011). Before Ayutthaya Fell: Economic Life in an Industrious Society. Markets and Production in the City of Ayutthaya before 1767: Translation and Analysis of Part of the Description of Ayutthaya. Journal of the Siam Society. Vol. 99.

[3] Ibid.