Wat Pho Hom, or Wat Chalerm Kanachanasueksa, is an ancient temple believed to date back to the Ayutthaya period. It was once abandoned for a time and is situated in the area where the Three Bodhi Trees camp of the Burmese army was located during their siege of Ayutthaya, specifically during the second fall of the city. King Taksin the Great later conquered this camp, marking a significant moment in the effort to restore independence after Ayutthaya had been lost for seven months. Originally an abandoned site since the Ayutthaya era, Wat Pho Hom, also known as Wat Pa Hua Phan, houses an intriguing feature: a statue of a four-faced deity known as “Phra Phrom” or “Four-Faced Brahma.” This large plaster sculpture is prominently displayed on a pedestal at the front of the old sermon hall, which was built atop the foundation of the original ubosot (ordination hall). It is speculated that this may have been part of the temple's entry gate or ubosot. The two plaster figures, if indeed original artifacts of the temple, underscore the significance of this site, particularly given that such depictions at the tops of gates are rare in the Ang Thong province. Similar representations can only be found at the upper gates of the inner palace in Ayutthaya (currently exhibited at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya) and at the entrance of Wat Maha That Cheliang in Sawankhalok.
Photo Credit: วัดเฉลิมกาญจนาภิเษก - โพธิ์หอม
Wat Chalerm Kanjanapisek (Pho Hom), Ang Thong
Province: Ang Thong