Wat Chao Prap

Terrain

General Condition

Wat Chao Prap is an important ancient temple in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. Located on U-Thong Road Pratuchai Subdistrict Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District It is now an abandoned temple. In the south in the area of ​​Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park It has been excavated and restored.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Chao Phraya River, Pa Sak River, Lop Buri River, Noi River

Geological conditions

The central plains are caused by the movement of major faults, namely the Mae Ping Fault (almost connected to the Moei Fault), Uttaradit Fault (Nam Pat), and the Three Chedi Fault. from the Late Cretaceous to the Tertiary This is a continuation of the launch of the southern Gulf of Thailand. and the formation of the Tertiary Basin in the northern and upper western regions, followed by the occurrence of the north-south fault line. Accumulation occurs on land in the form of a fan-shaped sedimentary hill. sedimentary plains, waterways, lakes, and semi-waterways and lakes

geological features Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province Located in the southern central plains Make it deep under the ground of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province It is a source of large pebbles. Gravels and sand are large and rounded. Groundwater accumulates between gaps and grains of pebbles and sand. interspersed with clay layers resulting in multiple layers of groundwater and is a layer of water that spreads widely horizontally has unique hydrogeological properties which is a characteristic found in most of the groundwater layers of the South Central Plain, that is, each layer of groundwater There will be a layer of clay under support. and covered on top Classified as groundwater under pressure (Confined aquifer)

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Wat Chao Prap (Song Sri Prapatthong 2015) is an important ancient temple in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. Located on U-Thong Road Pratuchai Subdistrict Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District It is currently an abandoned temple with no evidence of when it was built and who built it. In the texts of royal court customs during the Ayutthaya period, in the texts of the police officers, it was mentioned about Wat Chao Prap that “If he goes to see temples in the city outside the city, if in the city, as if he goes to the Temple of Chao Prab, then (the) monks go.” The word “Chao Prab” was probably an important name in those days.

In the letter of the King's funeral event (Somdej Chao Fah Sudawadee Krom Luang Yothathep Her Royal Highness Princess Narai the Great The left-wing consort of King Petracha At the time of his death, he was ordained as a nun. In the archives he called the image. Died at 1097 Chulalongkorn, during the reign of King Borom urn) said “When he reached the insulation of the boat at Prap Pier, he ordered that His Majesty the King boarded from the royal barge. and then the royal barge which overflowed He came back and sat down at the parallel of the Royal Palace Pier. Then Khun Thiphaphaichon took the royal vehicle down to welcome the King. So he invited eighteen gears in the middle to parade in front of the military residence in Go through the Tha Prap Gate and follow His Majesty the King's body to the Chakraphaichon Maha Prasat Throne Hall.”

The area of ​​Wat Chao Prap is quite spacious. There are important historical sites such as Phra Chedi, Ubosot and Mondop Adjacent to the south-eastern temple wall, there is a line foundation of the tin warehouse .

The tin is one of the rare tributes of the country. In dealing with foreign trade, it is classified as a controlled product. as in the Thai-French contract When King Narai said, “One If you hold an account and want to buy tin at Mueang Thalang Bangkhli Then, ivory, elephant and white saltpeter, black tin, betel nut, betel nut, and fang were given to the treasury to sell to all customers at the purchase price. and shall not hold the account for the sale of the name of the goods for the customer who did not buy it for the treasury. With the goods as a tribute to the royal duty, no one else is allowed to sell it except the treasury.” The aforementioned statement is enough to infer that The area of ​​Wat Chao Prap is located near the Chao Phraya River opposite Wat Phutthaisawan. It is an important area near the tin warehouse. and close to the iron road Or the ancient iron market road, which is a road paved with bricks about 85 centimeters thick. According to the history, it is about 1 kilometer long. There are ditches on both sides along the road. It must have been a ditch caused by digging up the soil to fill the road. The builder of the temple was probably the master who had an important role in protecting the country. It may also be responsible for controlling the creation of weapons. therefore has a position as a subjugator

On the south side of the temple grounds is a large chedi as the main chedi of the temple and the foundation of the chapel. surrounded by glass walls The inner wall of the glass wall is a similar triangular channel. with the inner glass wall around the pagoda at Wat Phra Mahathat Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province It is assumed that it is a compartment for Javala on the day of the festival. There are two stairs leading up to the base of the palace on the north and south sides.

President Chedi It is a large chedi behind the ubosot on the same base as the ubosot. It is a circular bell-shaped chedi. Octagonal base which is a popular style built in the early Ayutthaya period The original body was damaged, leaving only the bell body. The Fine Arts Department has assembled the broken pieces together and renovated them to form the perfect chedi that is seen today.

ubosot facing east There are 3 front entrance doors and 2 rear doors. Inside there is a foundation of round columns to support the roof of the chapel. Behind the chapel is a porch extending out. The foundations of the pillars supporting the roof remained. The roof of the chapel is thatched with banana leaf cladding tiles. There are eaves tiles in Thep Phanom pattern. as found in old temples in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province There is a base for setting the sema leaves around the ubosot of 8 directions. The stone sema leaves found in this temple have a pattern similar to the stone sema leaves found in Wat Chaiwatthanaram.

On the north side of the temple There is Mondop tetrahedron It is located on a rectangular base with twelve wooden indents. There is a path leading up to the platform in all 4 directions, with short porches on the north and south. The porches on the east and west side extend to the part of the base of the palace.

There is evidence that it had undergone major renovations during the late Ayutthaya period. Mr. Kongdej Prapatthong commented in a report on the excavation of Wat Chao Prap, which was printed in an archeology book. “Originally, this tetrahedron was supposed to be an even quadrangular tetrahedron. Later, it was thought that It looks contrary to Thaksin's base that is made into a rectangular recessed shape. Therefore, the east and west porches were modified to extend outward to meet each other. But that amendment would have been made at a different time interval. because the bricks used are the same size The addition would be rushed or different craftsmanship. causing the bricks to be arranged unevenly at the joint more It's just a line of bricks that collide. It makes it easy to separate the brick east and west porches.” This Mondop used to be a place where idols were enshrined. Currently, only the base is supported. may be able to support the Buddha's footprint If the footprint of the Buddha This mandap should be called Mondop of the Buddha's footprint

The Temple It is located between the ubosot and the Mondop. a small temple Only a brick foundation was left. and the line of Chukchi When the Fine Arts Department has excavated the viharn It was found that the viharn is 7.20 meters wide and 14.80 meters long. There are two entrances at the front corners, and in the middle there is another staircase leading up to it.

Behind the chapel There are the foundations of 6 pagodas that have been excavated from the south. Each pagoda was completely destroyed and it was difficult to see the original form. Details are as follows:

The 3rd - 4th amulets are octagonal base pagodas.

- The 5th - 6th elements, leaving only the foundation On the north side is a square chedi with twelve wooden corners.

Corner Pillars Looks like a pillar There are two arched entrance doors on the north wall and one on the east side.

tin treasury It is located outside the east wall of the temple. Only the foundation is made of bricks, 10.50 meters wide, 26.90 meters long. The interior is divided into 3 rooms. The east and west rooms are almost equal, but the middle room is larger than the other rooms.