Wat Kreun Kathin (วัดเกริ่นกฐิน)

Thai. ‘Temple that heralds kathin’, with kathin being the name of a tradition in which laymen offer robes to monks. Name of a countryside Buddhist temple complex in the Amphur Ban Mih (บ้านหมี่) of Lopburi Province. There is no record of in what year the temple was built but it has been associated with the local village for a long time. At the time when Luang Pho Phian Akkadhammo was the temple's abbot, he named the then only revered Buddha statue at the temple Luang Pho Pahn (หลวงพ่อปาน), for and in honour of an elderly Khmer kruh bah ajaan, i.e. a cleric teacher, from whom he had learned Buddhist magic spells. On 5 December 2005, on the occasion of the Birthday Anniversary of King Bhumipon Adunyadet, Luang Pho Phian was conferred the honorary name and title of Phra Kruh Wimon Samanawat, which means ‘Flawless Priest’ (fig.). Today, the temple is the residence of famous Lopburi monks and consists of three sections. Firstly, there is the main temple area, which is home to the ubosot, the wihaan, a golden stupa called Chedi Phrathat which enshrines relics given by the Supreme Patriarch, and some other temple buildings, as well as a nicely manicured garden and a pond with some sala-style shelters (open pavilions) and some solar powered chai pattana aerators, an invention ascribed to King Rama IX (fig.). The garden surrounding the stupa is decorated with both large and smaller statuettes that depict scenes, characters and animals from Buddhism, nature, folklore and mythology, such as warrior monkeys from the Ramakien, which are also found in the thematic lamp posts (fig.) throughout the temple complex. One hall, named Wihaan Phra Kruh Wimon Samanawat, has a separate room with the remains and a wax statue of this revered monk, as well as a small museum with mostly Buddha images, statuettes and some amulets (fig.) of this revered monk, as well as talismans blessed by him, including miht moh spirit knifes (fig.) and takrut (fig.). In front of the outer wall of this hall, which has with multiple roofs with so-called ngao or ‘hook’ antefixes (fig.), stand various life-sized statues of Thai-Hindu deities on cloud pedestals, many with typical reusi or hermit-style headgear with a tiger fur pattern. Flanking this wihaan on the north side is a gallery with three rooms that are open at the front, each housing a one or more charms and characters of worship, from east to west: the ‘angelic prince of creation’ Kumaan Thep Neramit (กุมารเทพเนรมิตร); the ‘108 great teachers and paternal grandfather-hermits’ Boromma Kru Poo Reusi 108 (บรมครูปู่ฤาษี ๑๐๘); and Mae S(r)oi Manih/Mae Soi Manee (แม่สร้อยมณี), literally the ‘mothers of the ruby necklace’, who typically wear and are offered traditional Thai dresses in various colours. Adjacent to the south of the main temple area is the second section of the complex which consists of a large well maintained park that at its centre has the Phra Phut Kathanyu (พระพุทธกตัญญู) statue, a Buddha statue standing in the pahng tawaai naet pose (fig.), representing Sunday in the Phra prajam wan system (fig.). The park also has some rock gardens and is in several places adorned with edifices of animals and objects related to Thailand and Buddhism. It also has a large pond with fish and chai pattana aerators, and a Chinese shrine built over the pond and dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Chinese goddess of mercy who in Thailand is known as Phra Mae Kwan Im (fig.). The Park also has some office buildings and smaller pavilions, as well as a mondop with a statue of the Hindu god Brahma. The third section of the temple complex is located to the east of the main temple area and consists of a stone Khmer-style prasat hin tower and some other Khmer style edifices and Hindu statues made in or carved from reddish and brown sandstone. This section also includes a lake which has a naga-staircase, while in the northeastern corner of the domain is another prasat onto which a large golden naga is entwined, reminiscent of a scene from the Bhuridatta Chadok in which the Prince of the Nagas is depicted coiled around a termite mound (fig.). In front of this are the statues of Chao Poo Sri Sutho, a nagaraat depicted as a naga in semi-human form (fig.) and his consort Chao Yah Sri Patum Mah Naki (fig.). See EXPLORER'S MAP and WATCH VIDEO. 回