Chao Khun Udom (Chao Khun Udomwattanamongkol)
Abbot of Wat Tham Wattana Mongkol (Rayong) • Thammayut Nikaya
Born BE 2497 (1 Sept 1954) – Passed BE 2564 (17 Sept 2021)
On a Tuesday in the Year of the Horse—1 September 1954 (BE 2497)—a child was born at Chulalongkorn Hospital who would later be known by his royal ecclesiastical title, Chao Khun Udomwattanamongkol. Temple booklets record his parents as Mr. Chan and Mrs. Prayong Duangbanyong. He grew up in Bangkok, attended Daruneewattana School in Dusit, and pursued formal monastic studies at Vajiramakut School, completing Nak Tham Ek, the highest grade in Dhamma examinations. His lay name appears as Suwat Duangbanyong (สุวัฒน์ ด้วงบ้านยาง) in temple materials; one feature article prints “Suwat Jirawattho,” likely confusing his monastic Pali name with a family surname.
He entered the robe early. Sources recall novice ordination (samanera) in BE 2510 (1967) at Wat Awut Wikasitaram (Bangkok) under Chao Khun Phra Sitthisornsophon (Sanguan Khosako), with a second novice entry noted in BE 2513. Full bhikkhu ordination followed on 22 June BE 2517 (1974) at the same monastery, with Phra Ratchathammasophon (Phuean Sumano) as preceptor, Phra Nipakornkittipirat as chanting master, and Phra Maha Suthep Thitopaso as tutor. He belonged to the Thammayut Nikaya, and his steady temperament, precise discipline, and gentle instruction quickly made him a valued mentor for young monks and for summer ordinations tied to Thailand’s armed forces academies.
After ordination he moved through the forest tradition to deepen practice. He sought instruction from Luang Pu Wan Uttamo at Wat Tham Apai Damrongtham, received guidance linked to Luang Pu Thet Tesransi of Wat Hin Mak Peng, and spent periods in the caves of Tham Kham, Sakon Nakhon—quiet years of vipassanā, simple requisites, and long walks under the trees. Community accounts also place him close to the Bangkok lineage of Mae Chee Boonruen of Wat Awutwikasitaram, from whom he is said to have inherited meditative rigor and practical know-how for consecrating classic powder amulets such as Buddho Noi, Somdej, Khun Paen, Pidta, and Luang Pu Thuad.
His ecclesiastical career rose in measured steps. On 12 August BE 2535 (1992), he received the royally bestowed Chao Khun title “Udomwattanamongkol” from King Rama IX. Around that time, his public teaching widened: he served as a special instructor in social sciences at the Armed Forces Preparatory School and joined national reforestation initiatives, returning always to the same themes in preaching—filial piety (especially the virtues of one’s mother), daily restraint, and patient, repeatable practice.
The monastery most associated with his name began as wilderness. In BE 2538–2539 (1995–1996), devotees offered roughly 500 rai of mountain land on Khao Khamphaeng in Rayong’s Khao Chamao district. He moved to the ridge and first lived in a cave. Power and water were irregular; the nights belonged to wind and animals. While early companions returned to the city, he remained. The site was gradually formalized as Wat Tham Wattana Mongkol, with cave restoration (≈30 caves), a meditation retreat, and later a program of building—most notably the Sri Mahamongkol Great Chedi and a museum concept to present relics, lineages, and Dhamma displays.
His sacred objects were issued with characteristic restraint. He emphasized that amulets were received through faith, not purchased. Early pieces include Pra Kring Niraderai (Pim Yai) and Pra Kring Pra Chaiwat (Pim Lek) noted around BE 2539 (1996). In the following decade he authorized small, carefully blended Khun Paen batches—community notes describe a 1st batch (BE 2545/2002) limited to 300 pieces, later issues matured in the chedi for years, and a birthday batch that helped fund the main hall. The Loop Om series reportedly incorporated powders from earlier Khun Paen blends, binding the line together. A Rian Sema “Udom Mongkol” series (c. BE 2557–2558) raised funds for the Great Chedi; popular culture posts often mention admirers such as actor Tony Jaa and, in one celebrated photograph, Vin Diesel wearing an issue—useful color from social sources, though not formal ecclesiastical records.
What visitors remembered most was his steadiness. At the mountain monastery he kept a balance between construction and contemplation, receiving soldiers, villagers, and city people with the same composed courtesy. He returned questions to precepts, advised mettā for rough days, and sent people away breathing more easily than when they arrived. He passed on 17 September BE 2564 (2021), aged sixty-seven, leaving a working monastery, a trail of students, and a reputation for quiet, durable goodness.
Notes on the Record
Birth year. Most Thai materials give BE 2497 (1954); one feature story prints BE 2494 (1951). Cross-checking ordination dates and age ranges, 2497 aligns better with his novice entry (1967) and bhikkhu ordination (1974). Names. The temple booklet records the lay surname Duangbanyong; the printed “Jirawattho” is likely his Pali monastic name rather than a family name. Amulet run details. Figures for batch sizes, powder compositions, and celebrity gifts circulate widely on community and dealer pages; they are valuable context but should be treated as soft evidence unless corroborated by primary monastery records.