Wat Bang Kung ( th, วัดบางกุ้ง) is an ancient temple in Samut Songkhram,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. It was built in the

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

period. It was the site of the

Battle of Bang Kung A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

between the

Konbaung Dynasty The Konbaung dynasty ( my, ကုန်းဘောင်ခေတ်, ), also known as Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်) and formerly known as the Alompra dynasty (အလောင်းဘ ...

and the

Thonburi Kingdom The Thonburi Kingdom ( th, ธนบุรี) was a major Thai people, Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin ...

History

Since Ayutthaya period in 1765, Burmese troops attacked Ayutthaya. Somdet Phra Chao Yu Hua Phra Thi Nang Suriyat Amarin (King of Ayutthaya) commanded navy encamped and build the wall around Wat Bang Kung in the middle of the camp as a spirit center for soldiers. Burmese troops moved along Maeklong river until they found Bang Kung Camp. The army of Ayutthaya could not resist them. Finally, the camp was destroyed and become abandoned camp. In 1767, after King Taksin the Great (King of Thonburi) regained the country's independence, he commanded the Chinese from Rayong, Chon Buri, Ratchaburi, and Kanchanaburi to form a guard to protect the camp and called it Bang Kung Chinese Camp. In 1768, Burmese troops led by Burmese king of Angwa ordered army and navy to besiege Bang Kung Chinese camp again. Chinese troops fought and almost could not resist them until King Taksin the Great found out about the battle. King Taksin the Great and

Maha Sura Singhanat Somdet Phra Bawornrajchao Maha Sura Singhanat ( th, สมเด็จพระบวรราชเจ้ามหาสุรสิงหนาท; , lit: ''His Royal Highness, Maharurasinghanat, Prince of Front Palace'') (1 November 1744 – ...

jointly fought and defeated the Burmese. This victory affects many aspects including Thailand still being independent nation and gave them great encouragement.

Architecture

Archaeological evidence currently remains in the Ubosot (Ordination Hall) which was built in the Ayutthaya period. It is covered with roots of four plants are Pho (Bodhi), Sai (Banyan), Krai, and Krang. These roots help the hall to stay stable. It is also called Bot Prok Pho. There is a statue of the Buddha enshrined in the hall commonly called Luang Phot Bot Noi. Inside the hall, there is a mural that shows a story about Buddha. The Fine Arts Department has registered Wat Bang Kung as a national archaeological site on December 18, 1996.

Gallery

File:Wat_Bang_Kung_Photo.jpg File:วัดบางกุ้ง_อำเภอบางคนที_จังหวัดสมุทรสงคราม_06.JPG File:Wat_bangkung_02.jpg File:วัดบางกุ้ง_Wat_Bangkoong.jpg

Location

Bang Kung Sub-district, Bang Khontee District, Samut Songkhram.

References

{{Reflist Buddhist temples in Samut Songkhram Province Tourist attractions in Samut Songkhram province