bird temple

Terrain

General Condition

Wat Nok is located at Bueng Phra Ram. in the middle of the island of Ayutthaya It is in the southwest of Wat Mahathat. between the temple (West side) with Wat Mahathat (East side) within the area of ​​Ayutthaya Historical Park It is about 1 kilometer north of the Chao Phraya River.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

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

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 tertiary basins in the northern and upper western regions followed by north-south fault formation (Bunopas, 1981). 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

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Wat Nok (Kong Kaew Wirapak, M.O.A.) is a temple built in the Ayutthaya period. Located in the central area of ​​Muang Island On the southwest side of Wat Mahathat There is no evidence of when it was created and who created it. The architectural appearance that appears can be initially assumed to be built in the early Ayutthaya period.

The name of Wat Nok appears in the Ayutthaya Royal Chronicle, saying that when King Naresuan declared independence at Krang in 1684, he gave Phrayakiat, Phrayaram, and Phra Maha Sangha Khanchong. along with relatives who came to Ayutthaya as well Upon arriving at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya bestowed upon Phrayakiat Phrayaram in Ban Khamin Sub-district, Khun Saen Temple, a relative of the Great Synod To be in Tambon Ban Ban Wat Nok (Department of Fine Arts 1968:137) In addition, Phraya Boran Ratchathanin also mentioned in the description of the Ayutthaya map in one section that “In the area behind Wat Nok, in front of Wat Phong, there is a Thai Mon shop selling bowls, trays, small and large pans, complete with all brassware. And there is a market selling fresh produce in the morning and evening in the area in front of Wat Nok.” (Department of Fine Arts, 1929 :75)

Important buildings in Wat Nok include Prang and Viharn which the Fine Arts Department has excavated and restored Brief details are as follows:

1. Prang It is located to the west of the temple. On a square base, there are 3 floors of recessed bases, making it a relic house, which is made into a four-way arch. Only the east side is made of a porch protruding from the relic house. and there is a staircase leading up to the booth or the relics room At the staging arch on 3 sides enshrines a stucco Buddha image. It looks like a standing Buddha image inside the glass house. Hands showing forgiveness Some broken condition At Ruenkaew, plaster is made in Kranok pattern. Appears an art form which is likely to be influenced by the Lopburi period.

The recessed part of the elemental house There are some patterns that can be seen. which is an ornamental stucco Especially the lotus pattern, there are obvious traces indicating that the old one has been renovated. For example, the lotus faces up at the mouth of the base to support the recessed house element, while the old lotus pattern evolved from the lotus in Lopburi art.

Above the three-tiered recessed square-shaped elemental houses arranged in descending order, shaped like a pod of low corn. It is a characteristic of the prang roof inherited from the Khmer castle roof. Each layer is decorated with jackfruit petals, some of which are still visible. The form of stucco adorning the prang as mentioned above is evident. This bird temple prang was probably built in the 20th Buddhist century and later restored in the 22nd and 23rd Buddhist centuries respectively.

2. Temple Located on the east side of the prang and facing east It is a rectangular building. The drum-covered wall was damaged and destroyed on both sides, leaving only traces on the right-left side wall. There were only one window opening on each side. At the wall, there were 7 pillars of stucco on each side. Currently, there are 5 pillars left and octagonal pillars made of bricks. saw only the base of the pillars arranged in 2 rows, 5 trees each, and on the balcony beside the north viharn, there are 7 pillars supporting the eaves. Inside the viharn, there are seats enshrined Buddha images arranged on both sides of the wall, and in the end, there is a raised base that enshrines the principal Buddha image.It can be noted that this temple should have been rebuilt in later times.