Wat Paramaiyikawat

About

Wat Paramaiyikawat Warawihan rests on the riverine island of Ko Kret in Nonthaburi Province, where the Chao Phraya River meets the channels of Lat Kret and Om Kret. Classified as a second-rank royal Temple, the wat is believed to have been founded in the late Ayutthaya period and was once known as Wat Pak Ao, 'estuary Temple'.

When the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya in 1764 the Temple was abandoned. A decade later, Mon communities who immigrated under King Taksin restored the precinct, calling it in their own tongue 'Pia Moo Kia Terng', 'Temple at the cape'.

In 1874, King Chulalongkorn presided over the Thot Kathin ceremony at four Mon Temples in Nonthaburi. Finding this wat in poor condition, he ordered a careful restoration that preserved its Mon architectural character, dedicating the merit of the work to his grandmother Princess Sudarattanarachaprayur, who had raised him in childhood. He renamed it Wat Paramaiyikawat, 'Temple of grandmother'.

Within the ordination hall, mural paintings in applied Thai style decorate the inner walls. At the island's outer corner stands the Phra Chedi Mutao, a white pagoda in Mon style modelled on the Shwemawdaw of Bago in Myanmar. Riverbank erosion has caused the pagoda to lean gracefully, a serene landmark visible from passing boats and the enduring symbol of Ko Kret.

History

The Temple is believed to have been raised in the late Ayutthaya period under the name Wat Pak Ao, estuary Temple, and stood empty after the Burmese occupation of 1764 until Mon families who settled Ko Kret under King Taksin restored it in 1774, giving it a Mon name of their own. In 1874 King Chulalongkorn found the Temple in poor repair during a royal kathin visit to Nonthaburi's Mon Temples and ordered a careful rebuilding that kept its Mon character, dedicating the merit to the grandmother who had raised him and renaming the Temple Wat Paramaiyikawat, Temple of grandmother. Both the Temple and the chedi were registered as national ancient monuments by Thailand's Fine Arts Department in 1935.

Significance

The Phra Chedi Mutao at the island's outer point is modelled on the Shwemawdaw Pagoda of Bago in Myanmar, and the same river current that shaped Ko Kret has left the pagoda leaning, a landmark best seen from a passing boat. Inside the ordination hall, murals in the applied Thai style still cover the walls, and the Temple keeps its own gilded reclining Buddha within the compound. Wat Paramaiyikawat also serves as Ko Kret's gateway, its ferry pier the crossing point most visitors use to reach the island's potters and its quiet lanes.

Architecture

Mon Temple architecture preserved under royal restoration; the Phra Chedi Mutao is a Mon-style stupa modelled on the Shwemawdaw Pagoda of Bago, Myanmar