Wat Tong Pu Temple วัดตองปุ - Ayutthaya Thailand 2023

Wat Tong Pu วัดตองปุ

Wat Tong Pu is an active monastery located off the city island in the northeastern area of Ayutthaya. The monastery is located at the confluence of the new Lopburi River and the new Pa Sak River, opposite Wat Chong Lom island. Wat Sakae was located to the west.

All constructions on the site are from recent time with exception of the bell tower, which
dates from King Narai's reign and looks identical to the one of Wat Pradu Songtham. An ancient Buddha statue (said to be from the 15th century), named Luang Pho To stood before in the ordination hall. This ordination hall became became a ruin over the years and the image stood in the open. In order not to damage the statue, it was decided not to reconstruct the new ubosot over it. A small vihara was constructed over the ancient
statue to protect it.

The new ubosot was partly built on the ruins of the old one, but slightly extended to the west side. The hall is built in the Late Ayutthaya style. The main Buddha image in the ubosot faces east.

Curiously the Buddha image Luang Pho To looks to the west. This is uncommon, but can be explained. The main Buddha statue of an ordination hall - the most important building of a monastery - should in principle face water, and if this is not possible, it should at least face to the east (the direction of the rising sun representing life). This could mean that at the time of the construction of the image, the (new) Pa Sak River on the east side was not yet in existence or it was decided to face the statue in an opposite direction due to the close vicinity of Wat Sakae. The image was thus constructed facing the new Lopburi River, which must have been an existing canal in Ayutthayan times, running parallel with the old Lopburi River.

The exact date of construction is unknown but according to some publication the temple must have been built before the reign of King Narai. The same source state that the vicinity of Wat Tong Pu, was a settlement area for Mon.

Chinese harassment of Burma started from 1648 onward. Ten year later, with the Chinese still threatening, agricultural activities slowed down and shortage of rice occurred. Lower Burma became disturbed. In 1661, the Prince of Prome raised an insurrection, and was crowned as King Maha Pawara Dhamma Raja. In 1662, the Governor of Martaban ordered a force of 3000 men out of his municipalities, to help the King of Burma in defending Ava and to expel the Chinese. A large number of Mon escaped the force and returned to Martaban. The Governor arrested the Mon who fled and put them in cages and threatened to burn them to death.

Five thousand Mon advanced on Martaban, burned down the town and took the Governor in custody. The Talaing insurgents could hold the town for a while, but realized they would not escape the wrath of the King of Ava. The Talaings assembled their families and with more than 10,000 people started their flight to Siam in direction of the Three Pagoda Pass.

A front guard advanced to Kanchanaburi in order to give account of the occurrences to King Narai. The King sent some thousand Mon troop to meet them and to guide the refugees to Kanchanaburi. The Mon nobles were received for an audience at the court and arrangements were made to harbor the families in the vicinity of this temple. A Burmese force was sent down and reoccupied Martaban.

An old document also mentions that in the Ayutthayan era there were boathouses for royal
barges and for various procession boats at Wat Tong Pu as well as near Wat Prasat.

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