Biography of Chao Khun Thongchai (Phra Phrommangkalachan)
Assistant Abbot, Wat Traimit Witthayaram Worawihan — Bangkok • Birth name: Thongchai Iamsaard • Born 21 February B.E. 2496 (1953), Laem Kae, Na Pradu, Phan Thong District, Chonburi
In the coastal rhythms of Chonburi, the boy who would become Chao Khun Thongchai grew up with a steady curiosity and a fondness for temple life. He entered the monastic path early, ordaining as a sāmaṇera (novice) on 8 December B.E. 2510, and years of disciplined study followed—Thai and Pali texts, sermons delivered with care, and the quiet labor of daily practice.
Full ordination came on 19 April B.E. 2517 (1974) under Phra Wisutthadhiday. He pursued knowledge the way some pursue reputation: methodically and without fuss. He completed the Nak Tham examinations in B.E. 2514, advanced through Pali studies to Level 6 in B.E. 2528, and later formalized his pedagogical instincts with degrees in education—a Bachelor’s (B.E. 2546), a Master’s (B.E. 2553), and a Doctorate (B.E. 2558). The classroom and the ubosot felt like parts of the same vocation: learning, then passing learning on.
At Wat Traimit—home of the famed Golden Buddha—his responsibilities grew in step with his reputation for clarity and calm. In B.E. 2534 he was appointed Assistant Abbot (Phra Khru Sri Wisutthanuwat), and over the next decades the Sangha conferred successive ranks that reflected his service rather than shaped it: Third-Class Rank (B.E. 2535) as Phra Phawanawisutthacharn, Second-Class Rank (B.E. 2538) as Phra Ratchaphawanawikrom, and First-Class Rank (B.E. 2547) as Phra Thepphawanawikrom. In B.E. 2554 he received the Third-Class Thammanikaya title (Phra Thammaphawanawikrom), and in B.E. 2556 he was elevated to the high-ranking title of Chao Khun as Phra Phrommangkalachan.
His public work has often been a bridge between tradition and modern life. In the 2015–2016 season he blessed the players of Leicester City Football Club at the invitation of the late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, offering amulets, leading stadium blessings, and maintaining meditation during matches. The story traveled far—not as spectacle, but as a reminder that composure and confidence are contagious. He likewise blessed national athletes across disciplines—footballers, volleyball teams—providing phra, sacred cloths, and words that gathered teams into a single breath before competition.
His reach has been international in unexpected ways. In B.E. 2559 (2016), he prepared a sacred cloth bearing Thai blessings alongside English affirmations, sent through disciples to the then U.S. President-elect. It was offered not as politics, but as goodwill—a monk’s way of wishing steadiness and wisdom upon public life.
Within the Sangha administration he has served as Assistant Abbot of Wat Traimit, Sangha Advisor (Region 8), Deputy Director of Dhamma Samana Affairs, and a member of the Supreme Sangha Council, while also presiding over charitable and educational bodies such as the Romchatra Foundation and the Guo Shi Institute. Those titles, like his academic degrees, trace a simple arc: a monk who believes learning should become service, and service should leave people calmer than before.
Asked about the efficacy of sacred objects, he tends to point past superstition to intent. An amulet, he says, is most alive in the wearer’s saddhā—faith, confidence, and the resolve to act with kindness. In this, he brings an old tradition lucidly into the present: the power of the blessing is the power to live well.