Wat Phet Samut Worawihaan (วัดเพชรสมุทรวรวิหาร) is a royal Buddhist temple located along the Mae Klong (แม่กลอง) River in Samut Songkhram (สมุทรสงคราม) Province, and which was previously known as Wat Ban Laem (วัดบ้านแหลม) and in the past as Wat Sri Champa (วัดศรีจำปา). It was built in the reign of King Prasat Thong (ปราสาททอง) of Ayutthaya (อยุธยา), who reigned from AD 1629  to 1656. The temple was then named Wat Sri Champa. Legend has it that in AD 1764 villagers from a village near the town of Phetchaburi (เพชรบุรี) fled from a Burmese attack and settled down in the district Mae Klong, to the north of the temple and called their new settlement Ban Laem (บ้านแหลม), after the name of their original village. When they later assisted in the restoration of Wat Sri Champa, they renamed the temple Wat Ban Laem. One day, when fishing on the Mae Klong River, the villagers of Ban Laem found two Buddha statues in their nets. On statue was in the pahng um baat (ปางอุ้มบาตร) posture, i.e. standing upright and holding an alms bowl, the other statue was seated in the meditation pose, known as pahng samahti (ปางสมาธิ). The standing Buddha image was named Luang Pho Ban Laem (หลวงพ่อบ้านแหลม) and brought to Wat Ban Laem where it was enshrined; the other, seated Buddha image, was brought back to be enshrined at Wat Khao Takrao (วัดเขาตะเครา) in Phetchaburi Province. Both statues are part of the Legend of the Five Floating Buddha Statues, known in Thai as Tamnaan Luang Pho Loy Nahm Hah Phi-Nong (ตำนานหลวงพ่อลอยน้ำ ๕ พี่น้อง). According to the legend, there once were five brothers who ordained and became enlightened monks.They prayed together and vowed that they would dedicate their lives to help all living creatures, by stopping their suffering. When these five monks passed away, their spirits dwelled in five Buddha statues and displayed their miraculous power by allowing these Buddha statues to float along five rivers, until they stranded and were found by local villagers, who enshrined each Buddha statue in a temple in the vicinity where they were found. The three other Buddha images and temples of those five are: Luang Pho Sothon (หลวงพ่อโสธร), a Buddha image seated in the meditation pose, which was found in the Bang Pakong (บางปะกง) River and is today enshrined in Wat Sothon Wararam Woriwihaan (วัดโสธรวรารามวรวิหาร) in Chachengsao (ฉะเชิงเทรา); Luang Pho Toh (หลวงพ่อโต), a Buddha image seated in the maravijaya (มารวิชัย) pose, which was found at the Chao Phraya (เจ้าพระยา) River and now located at Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai (วัดบางพลีใหญ่ใน) in Samut Prakan (สมุทรปราการ); and Luang Pho Wat Rai Khing (หลวงพ่อวัดไร่ขิง), a Buddha image seated in the maravijaya pose, which was found in the Nakhon Chai Sri (นครชัยศรี) River and now housed at Wat Rai Khing (วัดไร่ขิง) in Nakhon Pathom (นครปฐม). Since these Buddha statues are 5 in number, they were depicted on a set of 5 Thai postage stamps, each with a value of 5 Baht, and issued on 5/5/2555 BE (Buddhist Era), that is 5 May 2012 AD, believed to be an auspicious date for the occasion. 回