Biography of Luang Phor Sawang Uttaro
Ecclesiastical Title: Phra Wibunwachiratham • Temple: Wat Tha Phuttha, Tha Phuttha Subdistrict, Khlong Khlung District, Kamphaeng Phet Province
He was born Sunday, 17 June B.E. 2426 (1883), in Ban Nam Hak, Tambon Thangiew, Amphoe Banphot Phisai, Nakhon Sawan. The infant was named Sawang Charoensri. Life began with loss: his mother passed away when he was only five days old, and by thirteen he had also lost his father. Yet the orphaned boy grew into a figure of quiet dignity—intelligent, composed, and already trusted by elders in the surrounding villages.
His education unfolded in the monasteries that anchored local life. At Wat Huadong Nuea he came under the care of Luang Phor Phuek (Phra Khru Banphot Pomyan). During the Mul Kajjai era the temple was a vibrant center of study; Sawang learned ancient Thai script and Khmer for seven years under Phra Ajahn Sot (later Phra Khru Sawanwithi), grounding his budding vocation in language, memory, and discipline.
On Wednesday, 3 December B.E. 2445 (1902), at Wat Khunyan, Ayutthaya, he entered the monkhood. Phra Yantrailok (Sa-at) of Wat Sala Pun served as preceptor, with Phra Winaithorn Sri as kammavachachan and Phra Palat Pae as anusavanachan. He received the monastic name Uttaro. He remained at Wat Sala Pun for two years of Pali and scriptural study before returning to Wat Huadong Nuea to deepen his practice in Dhamma and Vinaya. Early postings included service at Wat Thangiew, where after two rains retreats he succeeded Phra Ajahn Pan as abbot—an early sign of the trust placed in his steady character.
Responsibilities widened. In B.E. 2468 (1925) he was appointed district abbot of Khanuworalakburi, Saen To, Kamphaeng Phet, and in the same year he became a preceptor (upachaya). Honors followed decades later: in B.E. 2500 (1957) he received the royal title Phra Khru Sanyabat with the ecclesiastical style Phra Khru Wibunwachiratham, and in B.E. 2501 (1958) he was elevated to third-class royal monkhood as Phra Wibunwachiratham. These were not mere ornaments but acknowledgments of a life of service—temples restored, communities guided, young monks raised carefully into the robe.
Later, the Sangha and the residents of Khlong Khlung invited him to relocate to Wat Krihabadi Songk in Tha Phuttha, Kamphaeng Phet. His presence revitalized the temple’s rhythm: repairs were made, study circles revived, and the long, patient work of daily chanting and meditation regained its center. He was known for exacting observance of the Vinaya and for teaching that was firm without severity—always bending toward compassion.
His sacred contributions were wide-ranging. He created protective coins and commemorative medallions, yantra cloths, tiger-skin flags, and ritual objects used for blessings. Most distinctive were his herbal powder amulets, blended with Maharach powder. Crafted during B.E. 2480–2483 (1937–1940) at Wat Thangiew, these were consecrated in the austere manner of the time. Historically remarkable, the series was offered by Prime Minister Phraya Phahon Phonphayuhasena to Thai soldiers during the Indochina War—a single-issue run that fused patriotic duty with spiritual protection, and today stands as both relic and record.
Age never loosened his discipline. Even as health waned, he maintained his round of duties—services for the laity, instruction for novices, the steady cadence of evening chants. On Tuesday, 1 February B.E. 2520 (1977) at 2:30 p.m., Luang Phor Sawang passed away peacefully, aged 94, having lived in the robe for 74 years. His memory persists in Kamphaeng Phet and Nakhon Sawan as a standard of integrity: a monk who never rushed, who spoke plainly, and who let the work of the Dhamma speak for itself.