Travel to Ayutthaya, older than Ayutthaya, how is that? sookjai holiday takes you to worship Luang Pho To at Wat Phanan Choeng, an old temple that has been a royal monastery since the Ayutthaya period.
In the eyes of our Thai brothers and sisters, Wat Phanan Choeng is probably seen as Luang Pho To Temple, another temple with a large Buddha image in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. We come to make merit, pay respect to the Buddha, and then return or travel to other temples.
In fact, Luang Pho To is the Buddha image that is most closely related to the city of Ayutthaya and has also influenced Bangkok in the Rattanakosin era.
Phet Fortress in Bang Kacha
Wat Phanan Choeng is on the other side of the river, taken from Phet Fortress
Speaking of the location of Wat Phanan Choeng, it is located outside the city island of Ayutthaya, south of the Pridi-Thamrong Bridge (the entrance to the city island), where the Pa Sak River and the Chao Phraya River meet, called Bang Kacha. The community on the temple side is called Khlong Suan Phlu, a Chinese community since before Ayutthaya. In the area of Wat Phanan Choeng today, there is a Chinese shrine by the water called the Shrine of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak. There is also a legend about Prince Sai Nam Phueng, who built Wat Phanan Choeng.
Chinese Cemetery Formerly the location of Wat Khom
Asking when this area became an old community is unknown, but the area of Wat Phanan Choeng today is vast because it includes the area of 4 abandoned temples: Wat Ro, Wat Khok, Wat Mondop, Wat Khom (Wat Suan Phlu). Especially the latter is also a Chinese cemetery.
Shrine of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak
As for the Pa Sak River in front of Wat Phanan Choeng, ancient anchors have been salvaged. Some say they were left in front of the Shrine of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak for many years. In the book of the Fine Arts Department, titled History of Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan, published in 1973, the map of Wat Phanan Choeng in that year was explained as "...a small shrine was built to place the ancient anchor salvaged from the river in front of the temple." There used to be a shrine to worship the anchor in the temple as well.
Ancient anchor Located behind Guanyin, the lower floor of the Shrine of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak
Today, this anchor is still at the Shrine of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak, placed near the replica of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak sitting on a dragon boat, located on the lower floor of the shrine (but blocked by other deities). Tourists can gild the anchor, believing that whatever they do will be as smooth as a sailing ship catching the sea breeze.
Speaking of the area of Wat Phanan Choeng and Khlong Suan Phlu, it is said to be part of a city that existed before Ayutthaya, namely "Ayothaya Sri Ram Thep Nakhon" or simply called the original Ayothaya. It was a community before the establishment of Ayutthaya. It is estimated that the original inhabitants lived densely around Wat Ayothaya (Wat Sri Ayothaya), Wat Samanakot, Wat Kudidao on the eastern side outside the city island.
Ancient Site of Wat Samanakotaram
Today, you can still visit all 3 temples, they are all still there. In the original Ayothaya area, there are also Wat Maheyong, Wat Si Ka Samut, and other temples, all of which are interesting to visit in the group of temples in the original Ayothaya area.
The great poet of Rattanakosin, Sunthorn Phu, mentioned Wat Phanan Choeng in Nirat Wat Chao Fa that "it is the temple of Chao Fa Phra Kalahom." It seems that floating lanterns were popular in the Rattanakosin period as well. In front of the temple (probably on the side next to the Pa Sak River), there is a shady waterfront pavilion that is pleasant to live in, in the eyes of Sunthorn Phu.
As for Luang Pho To at Wat Phanan Choeng, Sunthorn Phu said in Nirat that he is a sacred large Buddha image. If the country has bad things happening and the people are in trouble, the Buddha image will collapse. If the country is good and the people are well-fed and happy, the face of Luang Pho To will smile happily as well.
There is another story like this. When Ayutthaya fell for the 2nd time, it was said that Luang Pho To even cried.
Sunthorn Phu said that the people of Ayutthaya respect Luang Pho To very much because they can get what they wish for, but they call him Chao Poun Tao Kong (Pun Tao Kong), like calling Pun Tao Kong Ma, which means the old male and female guardian spirits. It's strange that in the early Rattanakosin period, a large Buddha image was called by the name of a Chinese guardian spirit.
There is no evidence of when Wat Phanan Choeng was built. There are only chronicles stating that there was the establishment of "Phra Phutthachao Chao Phanang Choeng" (Phanang Choeng means sitting cross-legged), interpreted as the name of the Buddha image that was established 26 years before the establishment of Ayutthaya. Other chronicles provide less credible information that it was a temple built by King Sai Nam Phueng, the ruler of Ayothaya.
There is a legend that tells a story about the Chinese kingdom. The King of China adopted a child from a betel nut, named Phra Nang Soi Dok Mak. The astrologer predicted that the King of China's adopted child should be paired with the King of Thailand, so he sent a royal letter, hoping that his adopted child would share a bed with Prince Sai Nam Phueng, who had great merit. Prince Sai Nam Phueng was willing to accept Phra Nang Soi Dok Mak as his queen and showed his merit to the King of China many times before this story ended sadly with a tragedy of love caused by misunderstanding.
After the cremation of Phra Nang Soi Dok Mak, Prince Sai Nam Phueng established the cremation site at Laem Bang Kacha, bestowing the name Wat Phrachao Phranang Choeng ever since.
Image of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak Shrine of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak
There is no evidence of when the Shrine of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak was built. The Chinese call it Chao Mae A Ni Shrine, a shrine to worship the image of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak, including the anchor salvaged from the water. The people of Ayutthaya believe that it is the anchor of the ship that Phra Nang Soi Dok Mak traveled on. In the reign of King Rama V, Phraya Boran Ratchathanin called it "Chinese Temple near Wat Phanan Choeng."
The history of Wat Phanan Choeng is related to the Chinese in many ways because it has been a Chinese community until the early Rattanakosin period. Even when Ayutthaya was about to fall to the Burmese, the Khlong Suan Phlu area was a volunteer camp for the Chinese in Ayutthaya. The Burmese had to fight for 5 days to defeat the Chinese volunteers.
Luang Pho To at Wat Phanan Choeng was probably a Buddha image that was originally located outdoors, and then a Viharn was built later. The current condition is a Buddha image in the posture of subduing Mara, U Thong art style, Era 2. It is said that the Viharn was built later. Observe from the picture above that the pillars are very close to the lap or knees of the Buddha image, which is why some people have made such observations.
In addition to the main Viharn, there is also the Viharn Khian, which originally had paintings depicting the story of Mara's attack, but now there are no paintings.
When Bangkok was established, King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok, Rama I, graciously ordered the construction of a temple in the middle of the city that was as tall as Wat Phanan Choeng.
Luang Pho Wat Kalayanamit that Rama III built in the style of Luang Pho Wat Phanan Choeng
In the reign of King Phra Nang Klao Chao Yu Hua, Rama III, he built Wat Kalayanamit. When building the Buddha image, he had the royal intention to build it in the style of Luang Pho To at Wat Phanan Choeng, both in terms of the characteristics and size of the image. This Luang Pho Wat Kalayanamit was given the same name as Luang Pho To, Phra Phutta Trairattananayok, by Rama IV. However, the Chinese, who like to call Luang Pho To at Wat Phanan Choeng Sampokong (Triple Gem), later called Luang Pho Wat Kalayanamit Sampokong as well.
It is considered an influence from Ayutthaya that has been passed on to Bangkok.
Regarding the name of the temple that is called in many ways, distorted until it is called "Wat Phanang Choeng" or Wat Phra Nang Ao Choeng, King Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua, Rama IV, was angry about this and ordered the promulgation of a royal decree regarding the correct name of Wat Phanan Choeng, to be called Wat Phanan Choeng or Wat Phrachao Phanang Choeng, according to the original owner's name, because it is a temple that Thai and Chinese people respect very much.
In the reign of Rama IV, Luang Pho To at Wat Phanan Choeng cracked throughout the image. He ordered it to be restored and gilded throughout the image. He performed a royal ceremony to make merit to the past great kings at Phet Fortress and gilded the face of Luang Pho To himself, using as many as 7,913 gold leaves (he ordered King Pinklao Chao Yu Hua, the second king in the reign of Rama IV, to gild the neck of Luang Pho To as well).
Later, when Luang Pho To's robe caught fire, King Phra Chulachomklao Chao Yu Hua, Rama V, also gilded Luang Pho To himself. He did not like the idea of covering the Buddha image because he felt that it made the Buddha image less beautiful. The restoration during the reign of Rama V used as many as 184,807 gold leaves to cover Luang Pho To.
