Wat Ton Satue, or the Monastery of the Stink Bean Tree, is an active temple located north of Ayutthaya, east of the Pho Sam Ton fields in the Khayai Sub-district of Bang Pahan in Ayutthaya Province.
Wat Ton Satue is situated on the right bank of the new Lopburi River, a stretch of Khlong Ko Loeng before and at the mouth of the defunct Khlong Chang, linking with Wat Dao Khanong.
Villagers of Pho Sam Ton came to work the fields in this area and built shacks to stay during the day. More people came and lasted longer as the location was close to a waterway and an excellent spot to buy and sell merchandise.
As the housing expanded, the area became known as Ban Khayai. Land was given for temple construction and a small monastery soon arose, called by the local people Wat Tha Khwai (Monastery of the Buffalo Landing) as buffalo came here to drink and bathe.
The monastery was established as Wat Prasert in 1862 CE on land given by Ta Yang (Grandfather Yang). It received its boundary stones three years later, in 1865 CE. In the temple's vicinity were three large Stink Bean trees (1) providing shade.
Boat people on the way to Maha Rat and Bang Pahan moored in this place on their way to Ayutthaya and back, calling the temple Wat Ton Satue.
Over time the large trees disappeared through the erosion of the river bank, but the name of Wat Ton Satue remained.
The monastery is in geographical coordinates: 14° 24' 19.85" N, 100° 33' 26.62" E.
Footnotes:
(1) Ton Satue (ต้นสะตือ) is called Petai or Stink Bean tree with the scientific name of Parka Speciosa (bitter bean, twisted cluster bean, or stink bean). The latter is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae. The tree is found throughout tropical South East Asia in regions such as peninsula Malaysia, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Thailand, Laos and the Philippines. The Petai tree can grow 30 meters high. It bears flowers in a light-bulb-shaped mass at the end of long stalks. The flowers secrete a nectar that attracts bats and other pollinators. The tiny flowers mature and die. Long, twisted, translucent pods emerge in a cluster of 7 or 8 pods. When those pods mature, the petai beans or seeds reside, the size and shape of plump almonds, which have a rather peculiar smell.
