Abandoned church in the Bodhi tree, Sangkratai Temple, Unseen, Ang Thong
Abandoned church in the Bodhi tree, Wat Sangkratai, Ang Thong Unseen. Ang Thong Wat Sangkratai is abandoned because the monks in the temple fought until the temple was abandoned. Wat Sangkratai or originally Wat Samkratai, has a story that "Taw Ti Chanthanasewi", the mother of Phraya Hasakan, was the builder since before the Ayutthaya period, approximately 400 years ago. At that time, it was an ordinary temple with monks. But because of the curse of this plot of land, the monks in this temple often fought each other, until the villagers were fed up and did not have faith. When the villagers did not have faith, they did not come to make merit. The monks could not stay. This temple was therefore abandoned. Later, the villagers built a new temple called Wat Pailom, which was nearby. They came to dismantle the wood from Wat Sangkratai to build the monks' huts and the pavilion in the newly built temple, leaving Wat Sangkratai with only one abandoned church. After being abandoned for a long time until it became a dense forest, there were still villagers who asked to use it to farm and garden in some areas of the temple. The church is a church made of bricks and plastered with cement. In the present state, there is no roof but the shade of the Bodhi tree acts as a natural roof. The four walls of the church are still intact. There are windows with only wooden frames, but some are assumed to have been re-inserted to make the church walls stronger. There are large Bodhi trees growing at the four corners of the church walls and the roots of the Bodhi trees have caught the church walls to prevent them from falling down. Therefore, it can be seen that the church is held up by the four Bodhi trees, which is a miracle. This abandoned church survived because of the four Bodhi trees. Wat Sangkratai has been renovated to be a tourist attraction, but it is still in its original condition, but it has been made stronger and cleaner. Inside the church is divided into three parts. The front room enshrines Luang Por Kaen. Villagers say that Luang Por Kaen was not originally here but was renovated and restored by bringing the Buddha's head that was cut from Wichian Chai. (There is a story that a thief stole the head of Luang Por from a temple in Wichian Chai, but for some unknown reason, he left it in the grass at Wat Sangkratai. When the villagers found it, they brought it to the church.) Later, the Buddha's head was restored and molded into the Buddha image as seen today. However, the principal Buddha image inside the chapel is Luang Pho Wan Dee, with Luang Pho Sri and Luang Pho Suk.
Location: Tambon Sala Daeng, Mueang Ang Thong District, Ang Thong
Coordinates: Wat Sang Kratai
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