WAT BANGKAE YAI     Although Wat Bang Yai is a public temple and located in an agricultrual area far from town,the edifices there indicate that it has been historically important sine the early Rattanakosin Period. According to history,it was built by a powerful statesman. There is a mural depicting the history of war between Siam and Burma which has been well preserved by the temple and is well worth studying. Wat bangkae Yai is located on a site surrounded by canais: bangkae Canal (a tributary of the Mae Klond river) in the east,Meru Canal in the north and Bang Lii Canal in the south. Because the temple is surrounded by several orchards including orange, palm, coconut and lychee orchards,it is very shady and cool. Governmental administration places this temple in kwea Oom Subdistrict,Amphawa District,samutsongkram Province.

History of Wat Bangkae Yai     According to elders living in the vicinity and the 93-year-old abbot (Phra Kru Kositsuttakun) who was born there, it was Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak (Sang) who built and dedicated this temple to his principle wife. Therefore it was named "Wat Bangkae Yai", "Yai" meaning principle. He built another temple, not far from the first temple, for his minor wife and named it "Wat Bangkae Noi", "Noi" meaning minor. Later, a third temple named "Wat Bnagkae Klang", "Klang" meaning middle, was built. However, there is no relation to the first two temples. There is also historical evidence, regarding the history of the temple. On the interior panel of the front part of the ubosot (ordination hall) appears a slate inscribed in the Thai language which can be read clearly. The inscription can be paraphrased as follows: On Sunday, the first day of the new moon in the fifth lunar month, J.S. 1173, in the year of the Goat and the third year of the decade Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak had this temple built and it was finished, on Friday, the tenth day of waning moon, in the tenth lunar month, 2357 B.E. Year of the Dog, the sixth year of the decade. This temple was completed in 2357 B.E. (1814 A.D.) which was in the early Second Reign of the Chakri Dynasty.
     The history and date of the temple can be roughly drawn from various sources within the temple as follows:

    1. Buddha images, made of red sandstone, line the long corridor around the ordination hall. The hand position of the images suggests Pala style. Their oval-shaped faces are identified as belonging to the typically feminine style of the U-Thong Period. The images and their features indicate that they belong to the art of a Pre-Ayutthaya Period (Pre the 14th century). It is possible that they were either taken from some other place or preserved in an old collection at this temple. Later in the Ayutthaya Period or earlyRattanakosin Period, the images were retouched with stucco and some were ornamented.

    2. The date of the temple can be estimated through sema the small boundary stones made of red sandstone. They are identified as belonging to the Ayutthaya Period, Amphawa School, the same school as the sema at Wat Ban Leam and those at old temples belonging to the late Ayutthaya Period in Samut Songkram Province. In general, this indicates that Wat Bangkae Yai must have been restored in the late Ayutthaya Period.

    3. Another piece of evidence showing that Wat Bangkae Yai belongs to Ayutthaya Period is square based chedi with multiple-rabbeted faces (with 3 rabbets per angle) which can be identified as belonging to the King Narai Period. It is located in the courtyard in front of the ordination hall with a long corridor around it. The chedi was constructed in as art style typical of the reign of King Narai or King Pet Racha.

    4. The private living quarters of the abbot of Wat Bangkae Yai (the above mentioned temple with the prachan panel covered with a beautiful mural) was originally a traditional Thai house built on low stilts. Later the house was raised, forming a two-storey building. The first storey consisted of anew room constructed with concrete, whereas the second storey remained the original wooden house supported by many strongly built stilts. During the restoration, each wooden board, fitted vertically, and dovetailing snugly with the next to form a mural panel was removed. Each board was then numbered according to its sequence in the scene and finally, are assembled back. In conclusion, Wat Bangkae Yai is possibly a temple of the Ayutthaya Period and was restored by Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak during the Second Reign of the Rattanakosin Period.

Biography of the builder      Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak, the Kalahome-the Prime Minister of the South-the builder of Wat Bangkae Yai, originally was called Sang. He was the son of Chao Phraya Ratchaburi (Same), a governor of Ratchaburi during the First Reign and the progenitor of the "Wongsarot" Family,namedafter his title "Wongsaurasak". The "Wongsarot" descended from the Bang Chang royal family. That is to say, Phraya Ratchaburi (Same) was the son of Grandmother Dua and Grandfather Khun Klaw. Grandmother Dua was the daughter of the town leader's grandmother who was Than Nak's elder sister. Than Nak or Her Royal Highness Princess Phra Rubsirisopakmahanaknari was the moter of Her Royal Highness Princess Phra Ammarindhra who was the first queen of the Chakri Dynasty. Their hometown is in the vicinity of Amphawa. Most of the members of this royal family served under the crown in provinces like Samut Songkram, Samut Sakorn, and Ratchaburi. Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak (Sang) had worked for the King as a government official and been regularly and successfully promted since early in the First Reign. After his coronation in 2325 B.E. (1782 A.D.), King RamaI promoted Phraya Ratchaburi (Same) to be Chao Phraya Ratchaburi. At the same time, the King conferred on Nai Sang the title "Phraya" as written: �confered on Nai Sang the title of Phraya Samut Songkram, Governor of Samut Songkram The Royal Chronicle of King Rame I : Chao Phraya Thipakorawong     Phraya Samut Songkram (Sang) was a very able person. Not only had he worked as governor in the vicinity of Ratchaburi and Samut Songkram but finally assumed a very high position, the Kalahome-Prime Minister of the South. After his coronation, King Rama II appointed several administrative officials, including "Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak." The Kalahome-As Chao Phraya Akramahasena (Bunma) has passed away, the King confers on Phraya Ratchaburi (Sang) the litle Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak, the Kalahome. The Royal Chronicle of King Rama II : Prince Damrong Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak, the Kalahome, was usually required by the King to command the Siamese army in was against Burma on the wastern frontier. The scene depicting the history of the was between Siam and Burma on the mural painted on the prachan panel at Wat Bangkae Yai must represent the time when King Rama II ordered Chao Phraya Wongsasurasak to hold off the enemy until a stronger force could be mustered, in the year of the Small Snake, 2364 B.E. (1821 A.D.).