Art & CultureThailand is home to a rich cultural heritage with distinct spiritual and art lineages. Gain insight into the ways of Thai culture passed down through the centuries in addition to its more modern variations through original Art & Culture articles.
The temple of Wat Bang Kung features in several fascinating Thai legends and real-life historical events, but it’s probably best known for Bot Prok Pho, a spectacular ordination hall, which is enveloped by four different tree varieties considered Holy within Theravada Buddhism.
The temple, which was also featured as an attraction in the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s ‘Unseen Thailand’ campaign, is located close to Amphawa Floating Market in Samut Songkhram province. It is covered by four impressive trees – a papal tree, a banyan tree, a lofty fig and a ficus concinna.
The temple was actually deserted for a period of 200 years, so nobody really knows exactly how and when the ordination hall first became overrun by the trees.
Inside the hall is a black Buddha image seated in the Maravijaya (‘Subduing Mara’) posture. Locals believe the image - known locally as Luang Pho Nilmanee (‘Black Jewel Image’) or Luang Pho Dam (‘Black Image’) - can answer the prayers of couples hoping to conceive.
A rich history
Although the temple is estimated to be over 400 years old, it first appears in historical records in 1765, during the late Ayutthaya era (1350-1767), when the Burmese army invaded the kingdom.
King Ekkathat, who reigned during 1758-1767, instructed naval forces from several of the kingdom’s major cities in the south to build a camp for the army in the Bang Kung area. Naval personnel built the camp around what is now Wat Bang Kung, close to the Mae Klong River. When the Burmese army arrived, they fought to win control of the camp, and, by 1767 had conquered the whole kingdom.
Shortly after the fall of Ayutthaya, King Taksin, who reigned between 1768-1782, had successfully established the kingdom of Thon Buri and had urged Chinese immigrants based in the provinces of Chon Buri, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Rayong to relocate to the camp at Bang Kung. For that reason, the camp is often called Khai Chine Bang Kung (‘Bang Kung Chinese Camp’)
Taharn Phakdi Asa, a group of volunteer Chinese forces, upgraded the camp in line with their combat strategies by constructing bastions and ramparts, and by digging a moat around the camp. During this time, Wat Bang Kung was located right in the center of the camp and served as the most important spiritual focal point for both locals and combatants.
Lost and found
By 1768, the camp was considered to be of great strategic importance.
Locals based along the Mae Klong River, along with Chinese and Thai
troops, helped King Taksin’s forces to repel and annihilate the 20,000 troops led by the ruler of the Burmese city of Dawei.
But after a decisive battle, the camp was left virtually deserted for a
period of almost 200 years. In 1967, the ministry of education
established a scout camp at Bang Kung in honor of King Taksin and a
monument was also erected to commemorate the monarch’s good deeds for
the nation. In 1996, Wat Bang Kun was finally completely overhauled so
monks could again reside at the temple.
As a form of remembrance for the brave troops who defended the camp,
the temple also constructed a number of replica life-size soldiers that
depict poses of Muay Thai (‘Thai Boxing’) and Krabi Krabong (a Thai
martial art involving the use of weapons).
Legend has it ......
Locals believe that a nang mai (‘female tree spirit’) known as Princess Monthathip stood guard over the temple during the period of its abandonment after reportedly seeing thick white clouds and the figure of a woman wearing traditional Thai dress in yellow or white wandering around Bot Prok Pho, or paying homage to Luang Pho Dam late at night. Locals even built a small shrine for her just behind the ordination hall.
Another tale suggests that the temple, which was actually once two small temples standing side-by-side, was built by the wife and mistress of a wealthy merchant. Locals say they often hear the voices of what they suppose are the ghosts of the two women fighting during the middle of the night inside the temple.
Transport connections: Car:From Bangkok, take Highway No
33 (Samut Songkhram-Bang Nok Kwak Road). Just before the Church of the
Virgin Mary, turn left on to Somdej Phra Amarin Bridge and then left
again. Continue driving along this road for a further 10 kilometers and
you will come to the site of the temple.
Bus:The Transport Co (Tel: +66
[0]2 435 5031 [air-con buses], +66 [0]2 434 5557-8 [regular buses])
operates a daily bus service between Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal at
Boromratchchonnani Road and Samut Songkhram province.
Train:If you’re not in a rush, why
not take the trip to Samut Songkhram province by train?
Trains operate
daily from Bangkok’s Wongwienyai Railway Station (Tel: +66 [0]2 465
2017). There are two options when taking this journey - disembarking at
Mahachai Railway Station and completing the final leg by bus, or
getting off at the railway station in Samut Sakhon province and taking
a boat to Ban Laem Railway Station, from which you can complete your journey.
Art & Culture 
Art & Culture
Thailand is home to a rich cultural heritage with distinct spiritual and art lineages. Gain insight into the ways of Thai culture passed down through the centuries in addition to its more modern variations through original Art & Culture articles.
contact 
sitemap
advertise with us
