Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Facing Wat Prodket on the other side of the Lat Ruang canal is Wat Paichayonponsep,
distinctively Mon in design, its entrance arch painted in red ochre and its flat eaves em-
bossed with ceramic patterns. A leafy pathway leads alongside the canal, and with a large
screen of trees and a small waterside village, this spot has a rural atmosphere.
Following the canal road from Wat Prodket leads through a Muslim community, with
the green domes and tall minaret of Darok Saadah Mosque towering over the houses, and
picking up the main road here will take us over the canal to Songtham Road, and to one of
the most prominent local landmarks, Wat Songtham, set near the ferry pier and resplen-
dent behind a magnificent red-and-gold fence. The enormous Mon-style
chedi
dominates
the southern corner of the compound, its gleaming white base formed into three tiers,
with rows of golden Buddha images encircling the
chedi
on each tier. The red-and-gold
theme is carried through to the bells that hang outside the
ubosot
, and each of the monk
images placed in a line in a nearby
sala
is heavily encrusted in gold leaf. Wat Songtham
dates from the time of Rama
III
, and is a royal temple, second class. Alongside the temple
runs Phetchahung Road, and following this leads over the Lat Pho canal and across the
entire length of the Phra Pradaeng peninsula.
The scenery begins to change immediately: the narrow streets have gone, to be re-
placed by green countryside and small villages, and an unhurried way of life. Away from
the two-lane road there are orchards, jungle, mangrove swamps, and hidden temples. This
is still Mon country, settled at the same time as Phra Pradaeng and in the years after, the
Mon language can still be heard and Mon script seen on older buildings. Turning un-
der the archway for Wat Chak Daeng will lead us along a narrow country lane to an old
wall decorated with green Dharma wheels and into the temple compound, which enjoys
a garden setting on the bank of the river. A traditional stupa has been built here next to
the water, a mound-like construction made from red clay bricks, reminding us that the
Mon were outstanding makers of unglazed clay pottery. Next to the stupa is a golden
chedi
atop the cream-coloured
wiharn
, surrounded by small golden Buddha images: the
chedi
is floodlit at night, a striking sight from the far side of the river at Phra Pradaeng. A small
notice next to the temple relates that it was built by a Mon community who had fled from
Ayutthaya and settled here during the Thonburi era.
