Part 2: Theoretical Frameworks and Relevant Documents
1. The emergence of royal monasteries and common temples in Ang Thong
The emergence of royal monasteries and common temples in Ang Thong represents the relationship between the religion and the society. The eighteenth century (1700 – 1799 A.D.) recognized the establishment of the Sukhothai kingdom by the free Thais under the leadership of Poh Khun Sri Intrathit. It was in this century that Poh Khun Ramkhamhaeng, the great king of Sukhothai, sent messengers to request the group of Bhikkus in Nakhon Si Thammarat – then known as the “Lankavamsa” Bhikkhus – to preach their doctrine at Sukhothai. Since Lankavamsa Buddism was well patronized by Poh Khun Ramkhamhaeng, it finally emerged the existing Theravada beliefs. Moreover, the Sukhothai kingdom in the reign of King Ramkamhaeng expanded in all directions except the north, where the Lanna kingdom held sway. To make Sukhothai a cultural centre, King Ramkhamhaeng adopted the Lankavamsa Sect and encouraged a study of Pali. As a result, the Buddhist scholarship flourished in Sukhothai. It reached the highest point in the career of the scholar-King Li Thai, the fifth king of Sukhothai. In 1345 A.D.
King Li Thai produced a masterpiece of religious literature which came to be an archetype for all literature and art to come. This was a treatise on Buddhist cosmology entitled Tebhumikatha or Traibhumi Phra Ruang which King Li Thai had distilled from more than 30 Buddhist scriptures.
This literature has held primary in Thai culture. For example, Thai architects of old based their lay-outs of temples and palaces on the descriptions of cosmology in Traibhumi. From the emerge of Buddhism in Sukhothai and its prosperity mentioned above, there has also developed a way to make an art object which was mixed of religious faith. The blending of religious faith with the artist process is the aesthetic of Buddhist art in Sukhothai. The artist process, like the religious practice, is an attempt to stretch to the highest goal which is comparable to Nirvana. This process is most evident when it produces objects which are the most perfect, or the most highly spiritualized. For Sukhothai Buddhist art, it is seemed to get close to this goal.
Buddhism did not flourish only In Sukhothai, Ang Thong at that time also was influenced by its prosperity of Buddhism and arts. This can be observed from two reclining Buddha images of Wat Pamok Worawihan and Wat Khun Inthapramoon which show the special characteristics of Sukhothai style. Actually, there was no evidence regarding the date of construction of these two temples. However, they are assumed to have been constructed in Sukhothai period because of the reclining Buddha images in Sukhothai style. Furthemore, the
legends of these two temples were said that they had been patronized by the royalty also. Thus, these two temples are the evidence to show that Buddhism in Sukhothai expanded to Ang Thong and this expansion shows the emergence of Buddhism in Sukhothai which was patronized by the monarchy.
The Nineteen Century witnessed the decline of Sukhothai kingdom. King U-Thong, the first King of Ayutthaya, proclaimed his state and established a kingdom at Ayutthaya, south of Sukhothai. The kingdom lasted 417 years and was ruled over by thirty-three kings. During the Ayutthaya period, Theravada Buddhism in Thailand appeared to reach its pinnacle of popularity.
Temples and stupas were constructed in great numbers. The temples were not just places for Bhikkhus, but also served as places of education, hospitals and general meeting places. The temples came to be an important part of Thai existence, a phenomenon that still prevails in Thailand nowadays. In Ayutthaya period, Ang Thong was named as Mueang Wiset Chai Chan.
Mueang Wiset Chai Chan was located on Noi River. It was an important frontier outpost of Ayutthaya Kingdom when fighting with the Burmese. As emerged in several parts of Ayutthaya chronicles, especially- in 1585 when King Naresuan won over the Viceroy of Chiang Mai near Pamok and Bang Kaeo districts, in 1592 when the elephant-back duel between King Naresuan and King Maha Upparaja of Burma and prior to the defeat of Ayutthaya in 1767, the Burmese camped at Mueang Wiset Chai Chan to attack Ayutthaya resulting in the “Bang Rachan Battle”.
Most of nine temples have been constructed and restored in Ayutthaya period. Unfortunately, most of them were destroyed when the Burmese over-ran the kingdom in 1767. Wat Mahanam and Wat Chaiyo are located in Chaiyo District. They were small common temples constructed in the Ayutthaya period with the unknown dates of construction and unknown persons who built the temples. However, the legends of these two temple said that these two temples were constructed after the battle between King Naresuan and Noratra Mangsosri, the Viceroy of Chiang Mai in 1585. After conquering the Viceroy of Chiang Mai, a village was established and named as Ban Chaiyo. The name of Ban Chaiyo came from the shouting of soldiers when they conquered Lanna and Burmese soldiers in this area. “Chaiyo” means “victory” in Thai language. Thus, these two temple might have been constructed after Baan Chaiyo were established. Wat Thasutthawat is located at Pamok District. The date of its construction of Wat Thasutthawat is unknown, but there is historic evidences such as the temple’s Buddha images and boundary markers that this temple
was closely related to the capital city of Ayutthaya as it was on the route that Thai armies took to fight with the Burmese. In 1592, King Naresuan camped his army at this temple before crossing the Chao Phraya River to encamp for the night at Wat Pamok Worawihan. Thus, Wat Thasutthawat had been constructed before 1592. Wat Khian, Wat Muang and Wat Si Roi are located in Wiset Chai Chan District. Also, there was no record regarding the date construction of Wat Khian and Wat Muang. But, archeological traces at these two temple such as the old ordination hall, the stone boundary markers, the square based stupa with twelve indented corners and the ruins of Buddha images, tend to support the assumption that these two temples were constructed in the late Ayutthaya period. Furthermore, the land document issued by Buddhist Monastery Division identifies that Wat Khian was granted of the land to a particular temple by announcing in royal decree in the reign of King Narai the Great in 1660. King Narai the Great was the king of Ayutthaya from 1649-1681 and his reign was in the late Ayutthaya period. Wat Si Roi was built in 1760 when King Alaungpaya of Burma invaded Myeik which was a part of Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1759. At that time, Khun Rong Palad Chu, an official of Wiset Chai Chan, grouped up and led four hundred sword-fighters under the name “Kong Attamat” to accompany the royal army from the capital. His group received a command to obstruct the Burmese army at Wa Khao Bay. Although many Burmese soldiers were killed in the melee, Kong Attamat could not resist the larger opponent’s army and its supporting armies, and lost their lives in the war.
This tragedy discouraged the whole town of Wiset Chai Chan; villagers were too with the lost. As a sign of memorial for the sacrifice of these brave soldiers, Wat Si Roi was found in 1760, where later the abbot initiated the construction of stupa to enshrine “the spirits” of 400 Wiset Chai Chan soldiers. As the conclusion, these six temples were considered as common temples during Ayutthaya period. Moreover, the other two temples which were built in Sukhothai period, Wat Pamok Worawihan and Wat Khun Inthapramoon were reconstructed during Ayutthaya period as well. Due to the erosion on the riverbank near wihan, King Thaisa (1708-1732), the King in the late Ayutthaya period, ordered Phraya Ratchasongkhram to lead the removal of Buddha image from the riverbank in 1728 and King Thai Sa also commanded to enshrine the reclining Buddha image in the new assembly hall. In 1753, King Borommakot (1732-1758) of Ayutthaya Kingdom went to pay homage to the Reclining Buddha image at Wat Khun Inthapramoon and also commanded to renovate the temple.
Seven months after the fall of Ayutthaya, King Taksin established a short lived kingdom at Thon Buri, During this period, several temples in Ang Thong were restored including Wat Ton Son. During the Thonburi Kingdom (1768-1782), Mueang Wiset Chai Chan was resettled to a new site on the left bank of the Chao Phraya River at Ban Bangkaeo and was named
“Ang Thong” since its location is a fertile basin similar to a water and rice bowl of the country.
Wat Ton Son is located at Mueang District where was the area of Ban Bangkaeo in the past. It has been assumed that Wat Tonson was built during the late Ayutthaya period as a common temple.
But, when Mueang Wiset Chai Chan was moved to Ban Bangkaeo in Thon Buri period, Wat Ton Son was restored during this period.
The Rattanakosin (Bangkok) period began in 1782 when King Rama I decided to establish the capital in Bangkok. King Rama I encouraged the study and practice of Buddhism.
He had numerous temples repaired. Wat Po, one of the most important temple in the kingdom nowadays, was virtually rebuilt and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha was constructed during his reign. Most of the nine temples in Ang Thong were repaired by their surrounding communities again in Rattanakosin period. Some of them were repaired by the royalty and became the royal temples which are Wat Pamok Worawihan and Wat Chaiyo Worawihan. Wat Pamok was repair in 1863 (in the reign of King Rama IV) and it became a second class royal temple after that. Wat Chaiyo Worawihan had its great renovation in the reign of King Rama V.
King Rama V had Wat Chaiyo renovated in 1887 but the vibration from ramming piles of the new assembly hall (Viharn) caused the large Buddha image to collapse. The king Rama V then commanded to build a new large Buddha image following the pattern of the large Buddha image of Wat Kalayanamit. After that King Rama V gave a second class royal temple to the temple which mean important monastery for the province and receive high honors because its history is related with the royalty.
Untill nowadays, Thailand has never been colonized. This means that cultural heritage conservation in Thailand has taken a different path unlike its neighbors, especially the interest of Thai royal family in preserving ancient monuments. Wat Thasutthawat had fallen into declination. In 1973, when H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who was Princess Sirindhorn at that time, accompanied her Majesties the King and the Queen to visit people in Ang Thong province. Princess Sirindhorn noticed that the old ordination hall was in very poor condition, and
on October 17, 1986, she suggested that the old ordination hall should be demolished and replaced with a new one. As this result, the new ordination hall is defined as a fine religious and historic edifice because the great goodness of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and a spirit of monks, government officers, people in Ang Thong and people throughout the country have drawn together to construct it. Moreover, the old ordination hall of Wat Khian had fallen into decline. In 1973, H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn came to offer royal Khathin robes to the monks at this temple and also inspected a serious state of deterioration of the ordination hall. The princess helped initiate a renovation of the old ordination hall. The old roof had to be removed and new walls built around the weak structure. The original character of the site was preserved as much as possible. At present, a new roof is put in place and the ordination hall is restored in a good condition. This is also the great goodness of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn that can help in preserving the mural paintings of Wat Khian which are considered as the most beautiful mural paintings in Ang Thong province.