Wat Phutthabucha

In 1942, several unforgettable events took place. It was the year of a great flood that inundated Bangkok and the Bang Mot area, destroying the orange orchards while they were full of fruit. This caused widespread poverty among the Bang Mot orchard farmers, who had to survive on simple meals such as stir-fried morning glory and lotus stems with river prawns until they grew tired of it. At the same time, wars broke out, including the Franco-Thai War and World War II, which brought even more hardship. Those aged over 60 can still clearly remember the taste of deprivation during that period. This point is therefore taken as the beginning of the story and at that time, Wat Phutthabucha had not yet been established. Several years later, as the people of Bang Mot gradually recovered and were able to earn a living again after the devastation caused by the flood and the war, around 1954, a local orchard owner, Mr. Lek Mueankho, and his wife, Mrs. Thongkham , decided to donate land for the construction of a temple. The couple had no children and lived along Bang Mot Canal. They were originally from Samut Songkhram Province. They brought this idea to consult Phra Phrom Muni (Phin Suvajo) of Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, who was also from Samut Songkhram and whom they had long respected. With his support and approval, Mr. Lek and Mrs. Thongdam donated a plot of land measuring 6 rai, 1 ngan, and 97 square wah, located next to their home, for the construction of the temple. Once there were enough monk residences and basic structures to function as a temple, villagers in the surrounding area invited respected monks to reside there during the rains retreat. One of them was Phra Palad Thongsuk Dhammagutto, a sociable monk who could speak both Teochew and Hainanese Chinese. In addition, there were monks from Wat Tha Kham, of Mon descent, who also came to stay.