AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



WAT RATCHA PHLI





Wat Ratcha Phli, or the Monastery of the Royal Gift, was situated off the city island in the western area of Ayutthaya, on the west bank of the connection canal leading to the Chao Phraya River (1) at Hua Taphan via Khlong Maha Phram (2). The monastery was in the present Ban Pom Sub-district, south of road No 3263 (leading to Ang Thong) and just south of Wat Kasattrathirat.


No traces remain from this temple, except for some remnants of Buddha images. A mini-mart has been built in situ.


A local confirmed that there was some shrine in the vicinity, which has a link to the former monastery, but it is situated on private property and could not yet be traced.


The historical background and period of construction of the former temple are unknown. However, the monastery is mentioned in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya as being the location where the Burmese positioned great guns and fired them off on the city of Ayutthaya in 1760 CE.


"When it was the fourteenth day of the waning moon in the fifth month, the Burmese brought up great guns, positioned them at the Monastery of the Royal Gift and at the Monastery of the Ruler, and fired them into the Capital. His Majesty the Holy Lord Omnipotent rode the premier bull elephant Defeater of a Hundred Thousand Troops to look with His [own] holy eyes at, and to give specific instructions to, the positions at the Monastery of the Crown Garden, the Monastery of the Corpses of Heaven and the Fort of Grand Victory." [1]


The site is indicated on a 19th-century map, Phraya Boran Ratchathanin's map of 1926 CE and all Fine Arts Department published maps.



Steve Van Beek, in his book "Slithering South", describes his epic boat trip in 1988 CE from the source of the Ping River to the mouth of the Chao Phraya River in the Gulf of Thailand and mentions Wat Ratcha Phli, when he passed west of Ayutthaya:
"The river provided a superb panorama of the city's monasteries and monuments, majestic even in ruins first, Wat Thammaram with its tall prang and noble proportions then, the corncob like spire and old halls of Wat Raja Plii." [2]
If Wat Ratcha Phli was not mistaken for Wat Kasattrathirat (what I presume it was), then the standing ruins of the monastery were still in existence in 1988 CE and must have been levelled to make place for new construction at the end of the 80's or in the 90's.

The 'Description of Ayutthaya', a document probably compiled early in the Bangkok era from the memories of people who had lived in Ayutthaya before 1767 CE, mentioned that the village in front of Wat Ratcha Phli makes coffins from teak and ulok wood along with various crematory articles for sale. [3]
Wat Ratcha Phli was in geographical coordinates: 14° 20' 57.70" N, 100° 32' 35.71" E.
References:
[1] Cushman, Richard D. & Wyatt, David K. (2006). The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. Bangkok: The Siam Society. pp. 482-3.[2] Van Beek, Steve (2002). Slithering South. Published by Wind & Water, Hong Kong. p. 386.[3] Pongsripian, Vinai, Dr. (2007). Phanna phumisathan Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya: Ekasan jak Ho Luang. Geographical description of Ayutthaya: Documents from the palace. Bangkok: Usakane.


MAPS



Map 1 - Detail of a 19th-century map. Courtesy of the Sam Chao Phraya Museum. Remark: the map is orientated south.
Map 2 - Detail of Phraya Boran Ratchathanin's map 1926 CE. Wat Suwandararam, Ayutthaya.
Map 3 - Detail of a 1957 CE Fine Arts Department map. Amatyakul, Tri (1957). Guide to Ayudhya and Bang-Pa-In. Bangkok, Prachandra Press.
Map 4 - Detail of a 1974 CE Fine Arts Department map. Courtesy Dr Surat Lertlum, Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy.



Map 5 - Detail of a 1993 CE Fine Arts Department map. Courtesy Khun Supot Prommanot, Director of the 3rd Regional Office of Fine Arts.
Map 6 - Detail of a 2007 CE Fine Arts Department GIS map. Courtesy of the Fine Arts Department 3rd Region.
Map 7 - Google Earth



When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
(Alexis de Tocqueville)





HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA



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