Wat Tha Khanun

Wat Tha Khanun (วัดท่าขนุน, literally "Jackfruit Landing Temple") is a royal wihan-class Theravāda Buddhist temple (wat rat) belonging to the Mahānikāya fraternity, located in Tha Khanun Subdistrict, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. The temple covers an area of approximately 59 rai (95,000 m²) and is situated on the bank of the Khwae Noi River.

The name "Tha Khanun" refers to an ancient river landing where many jackfruit trees once grew abundantly. The site is mentioned in the 1786 poem Nirat Tha Din Daeng composed by King Rama I during his campaign against the Burmese at Tha Din Daeng. The landing served as a military staging point, and it is believed a small monastery already existed at the location.

The present temple was formally established in 1930 (B.E. 2473) when land belonging to the Nok Lek family was donated to Luang Pu Phuk Uttamapalo. Early residents called it "Wat Luang Pho Sai" after its later famous abbot. After Luang Pu Phuk's death, the Karen monk Phra Ajahn Tai Naem became abbot and built the first mondop enshrining a Buddha footprint replica. Following his passing the temple briefly became abandoned.

In 1955 (B.E. 2498), Luang Pu Sai Akkavangso (later Phra Kru Suwan Selaphon), a forest monk from Nakhon Sawan Province, arrived on tudong, settled at the ruined temple, and was invited by villagers to stay. Under his leadership the temple was extensively rebuilt and became the principal monastery of Thong Pha Phum District. Luang Pu Sai died in 1992 (B.E. 2535).^[1]

In 2002 (B.E. 2545), Phra Ratcha Thammasophon, then acting Provincial Ecclesiastical Governor of Kanchanaburi, appointed Phra Kru Wilat Kanchanatham (Lek Suthammo) to restore and further develop the temple, a role he continues to hold.^[2]

Important structures include:

• The ubosot (ordination hall), built in 1954 and granted wisungkhamasima boundary stones in 1955
• Phra Buddha Chedi Kiri, a Burmese-style chedi built in 1991 on a hill within the temple grounds
• Chedi 80 Phansa, built in 1993

Notable sacred objects:

• A rare fully detachable wooden thammas (pulpit) in the form of a busabok pavilion, carved by royal craftsmen and registered as an ancient artefact by the Fine Arts Department
• Two late-Rattanakosin Buddha images (approximately 50 cm lap width) donated by Princesses Orabraphan Rampai and Adisai Suriyabha, daughters of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), in 1929^[3]
• A Lan Xang–style Buddha image
• A bronze replica of the Buddha's footprint

The temple grounds contain a large earthen mound beside the Khwae Noi River believed to be the site of King Rama I's military camp during the 1786 Tha Din Daeng campaign. Excavations have uncovered coarse and high-fired ceramics, as well as Chinese porcelain shards from the Ming and Qing dynasties, typical of royal military encampments.^[4]

• Luang Pu Phuk Uttamapalo (1930–1942)
• Phra Ajahn Tai Naem (1942–1955)
• Phra Kru Suwan Selaphon (Luang Pu Sai Akkavangso) (1955–1992)
• Phra Athikan Somdet Warasayo (1992–1998)
• Phra Samu Sompong Khemajitto (1998–2008)
• Phra Kru Wilat Kanchanatham (Lek Suthammapaṇṇo) (2008–present)