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Wat Pa Mok Worawihan is located in municipal Tambon Pa Mok on the west
bank of the Chao Phraya River approximately 18 kilometers away from
Amphoe Mueang. Take Highway No. 309 (Ang Thong Ayutthaya route) at Km
40, then take Highway No. 329 and 3501 to find a signage to Wat Pa
Mok. In the temple compound, there is a beautiful gilded reclining
Buddha made of brick, and plaster.
The image is 22.58 meters from the
topknot to the feet. It is assumed to have been constructed in the
Sukhothai period. Legend of this Buddha image was that he floated
along the river and sank in front of this temple. People offered
sacrifices to the Buddha image before pulling him from the river to
house on the riverbank. In the royal chronicle, it is mentioned that
before leading his army to attack Phra Maha Upparacha, King Naresuan
the Great stopped at this temple to gather his troops and paid homage
to the image.
Due to the erosion on the riverbank near wihan,
King Sisanphet III commanded Phraya Ratchasongkhram to lead the removal
of Buddha image from the riverbank. King Thai Sa controlled this
removal and invited the Buddha image to enshrine in the new wihan in
Wat Talad, 168 meters away from the river. Later the King commanded to
merge Wat Talad and Wat Chipakhao into one temple and renamed as Wat Pa
Mok due to the abundance of Wrightia religiosa (Mok) trees all around.
Besides the reclining Buddha, this temple is famous for wihan Khian,
where the wall confronting to the river has a tall stand formerly used
by the King, mondop of 4-foot prints, and tower of monastic library,
etc.
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