The central Wat in 1964

The gentleman in the front row centre is the Monk Chaimonkron
View of beach road
Same view as 6 marked up with today's landmarks
Wat Chaimongkron

Central Vihara
The hall with the old photos on display
Buddha statues in a Sala kan prian – a large, open hall where lay people can hear sermons or receive religious education
Ho trai – the Temple Library which houses the sacred Tipiṭaka scriptures.

The history of the buddha figure
Buddha image in the Vihara
Buddha tree
Mondop on the lake

The original building c1964 and the ubosot
The 'lucky' bells around the Chedi
The crematorium
The current Monk Chaimongkron - the 5th in line


The gentleman in the front row centre is the Monk Chaimonkron

If you speak to any of the boys in Sunee or Day Night and ask them where they’ll eat, buy clothes, or go when the bars close, the answer 90% of the time will be “Wat Chai”. This is the area at the Second Road end of Pattaya South Road (Pattaya Tai) which includes a street market, food stalls, clothing stalls in soi Hollywood, and many other things besides. Seldom realised, there is also a temple in the area. In fact the Thai word “Wat” means “school”. But in this context and strictly speaking a wat is “a Buddhist sacred precinct with monks’ quarters, the temple proper, an edifice housing a large image of Buddha, and a structure for lessons” (Wikipedia). The temple here is on the far side of Pattaya Tai and just behind the shops on Second Road. It covers a huge area, over 10 acres 4.4 hectares or 27 rai in size. It is open all day to visitors but it almost never gets visited by Westerners or mentioned as a temple. In fact a Google search for the place brings up very little. So what is it, why is it important and what’s there?

The central Wat in 1964

Wat Chaimongkron (also called Wat Chaimongkol or  Chaimongkon), was built in the Thai year 2507. That’s 1964 to us. At present there’s a very interesting exhibition of photos from the period, some of which I’ve copied and posted here. It’s interesting to note the construction of the temple pre-dates almost everything else in Pattaya – including the Walking Street, Boyztown, and even Second Road. Photo 6 gives an aerial view at the time. It is the main (and in 1967 the only) Wat in town.

The name – Chaimongkron – was the name of the head monk at the time. He was said be be a gentle monk with a very good heart. The heads of the temple still carry his name. The current monk Chaimongkron being the 5th in the line. The temple itself grew slowly on the plot, and today there are over 30 buildings on the site. Among their number are a massage school, a junior school, monk’s accommodation and school and a crematorium. The site itself is very busy with around 50 monks living there full time. They study and run the temple, as well as keeping the crematorium working. There are no “boy” monks there – it’s not a teaching school in that sense.

The main Buddha statue is said to be around 350 years old. It is kept in the original building – the phra ubosot which is shown in the above photo and mainly kept locked. There was a big battle in the Ayudhia area in 1767 with the Burmese, and the statue of Buddha is supposed to have called for peace among the warriors. So now it calls for peace and asks for troubles to stop in our lives. It is said to have been found by chance and brought from Ayudhia to Pattaya. The main temple building is open on religious holidays, when there is a big festival inside the Wat’s grounds. People visit the street stalls that are set up, and walk around the phra ubosot three times in prayer. They also kneel for blessings from the monks and give alms. Many will walk round the ring of bells striking them all for good luck. The bells are in a square around a dark stone “Chedi”, a bell shaped structure containing the relics of Buddha. Their sound haunts you as you tour the complex. If you can find a Thai boy to take you it’s well worth visiting during one of these holidays. The lad can explain to you what’s going on.

Mondop on the lake

In the Phutthawat (the area which is dedicated to Buddha) there is a lake (which is particularly dirty) with turtles and catfish in it. The lake also acts as a moat for two Mondops. There’s a traditional Ho Rakang which is a drum and bell tower, in this place they are combined into one. Normally they are two separate structures. On the road with Pattaya Tai is a small Mondop in the form of a sheltered walkway, which contains statues of the 7 images of Buddha representing the days of the week. There are also a number of salas and viharns – meeting and prayer rooms and buildings for miscellaneous activities. Finally there’s a Ho Trai or Tripitaka Library where the religious texts are held for study.

The crematorium

Traditionally, the Tripitaka scriptures consisted of individual palm leaves, each measuring around 50 cm in length and around 4 to 6 cm in width. They were perforated and threaded in order to combine them in stacks of 20 to 40 pages. These stacks are kept pressed between two pieces of teakwood which is then wrapped in cloth and stored in a special bookcase. Modern Tripitaka (as here at Wat Chaimongkron) are now printed as books.

In a separate compound is the crematorium which is the place where the good citizens of Pattaya depart this mortal realm. Everyone from City Counsellors to dancing boys have ended their days here. Near there is a massage school which trains people in the art. In another corner of the site is a junior school which teaches children from 5 years old. Finally you’ll find the Sanghawat; an area which contains the living quarters of the monks. There is a dormitory building and some small cottages for the more senior monks. As well as their refectory and kitchens. The staff in these are lay people from the town.

It’s a well-used site, yet it’s peaceful and removed from the hustle and bustle of Pattaya. If you have 30 minutes spare and fancy visiting one of the hidden corners of Pattaya, pop in.

Wat Chai from Google Earth