Wat Amphawan (Wat Bang Muang), Nonthaburi — River Temple, Mango Groves, and the Khun Paen Crypt
Tambon Bang Duan, Amphoe Bang Yai • On the Mae Nam Om Canal, a former course of the Chao Phraya
Wat Amphawan, once called Wat Bang Muang, sits along the Mae Nam Om canal, an old bend of the Chao Phraya. Its roots run back to late Ayutthaya, around B.E. 2175 in the reign of King Prasat Thong. The name “Amphawan” evokes the mango orchards that once ringed the compound — a reminder that Thai temples grow out of the life around them. In classical lore, Amphawan Garden was the healing grove of Dr. Jivaka Komarabhacca in Rājagaha; after treating the Buddha and offering fine cloth from the Sivi kingdom, Jivaka attained Sotāpanna. The echo of that story lingers here: medicine, merit, and refuge.
The temple’s wooden library, the Ho Trai Klang Nam, seems to float above a pond. Its open lower level lets water breathe under the building; upstairs, two rooms hold palm-leaf manuscripts and ceremonial objects. Everywhere the hand of a carver: embossed panels, turned balusters, doorheads with crisp relief, and a terracotta, bird-wing roofline. Nearby, a waterside pavilion shelters a metal replica of the Buddha’s footprint, set on a modest cement base.
In the ubosot stands the principal image, Phra Phuttha Mongkhon Sukhothai. In the abbot’s quarter, a hat-crowned Buddha subdues Māra — an Ayutthaya-period survivor with poise and weight. The temple’s human story runs through Phra Khru Nonthaphat Pradit (Luang Pho Dit), famed during World War II for an unusual combination of magical sciences and Thai herbal medicine. He learned from a circle of respected teachers — Luang Pho Koet of Wat Bang Due, disciples of Luang Pu Chan of Wat Moli, and Luang Pho To of Wat Tha It — and made Phra Pidta from local ore gathered in Bang Muang. Those “Bang Muang Pidta,” quietly distributed since the Indochina War, are held as Nonthaburi’s third great metal Pidta alongside Ore Bang Phai and Bang Due.
The creek carries other histories too. Downstream lies Wat Prang Luang at Khlong Bangkok Noi, founded in the reign of King Ramathibodi I (U Thong) around B.E. 1890. Once “Wat Luang,” it gained the name “Prang Luang” after the imposing tower that defines its skyline — an early Ayutthaya marker watched over by later reformers such as Somdet Phra Maha Samana Chao Krom Phraya Vajirananavarorasa, the 10th Supreme Patriarch of Rattanakosin.
The Crypt Opens: Khun Paen from the Earth (2013)
On February 13, 2013, a work crew at Wat Amphawan hit pottery in the soil — a sealed jar with more than a hundred amulets. Phra Kasem San, secretary to Phra Khru Mongkhonkitjat (Luang Pu Thongyoi Mangkhalo), recorded the find. Soon a second jar surfaced. Counts moved from ~200 to ~400 as more pieces were tallied. Experts who examined them affirmed: these were Phra Khun Paen — Kru Wat Amphawan.
Numbers sparked debate. On May 22, 2013, a seminar titled “In-depth look at the Khun Paen amulets from the Wat Amphawan crypt” convened at the Richmond Hotel. Among those present were Mr. Phayap Khamphan, President of the Thai Amulet Enthusiasts Association, and archaeologist Prof. Phuchong Chantawich. Antiques specialist Chaow River proposed an eventual total near 3,000 pieces. Meanwhile, rumors eddied: divers had seen 2–3 more jars near a submerged pagoda base, and some alleged jars were being “rented” for 9 million baht each. Skeptics noted that after the 2011 floods, dredging around the temple turned up no pagoda remains. As with all crypt tales, documentation anchors the facts; the rest is river talk.
Late Ayutthaya foundation (~BE 2175) on the Mae Nam Om canal, Bang Yai, Nonthaburi.
Ho Trai Klang Nam (two-storey over water), carved woodwork, terracotta winged roof.
LP Dit’s teachers include LP Koet (Wat Bang Due), LP Chan’s disciples (Wat Moli), LP To (Wat Tha It).