Wat Phra Borommathat

About 200 m southwest to south, on what looks equally like a former island close to the western bank of the river, is a monastery called by some Wat Phra That, "Holy Relic Monastery", and by others. Wat Phra Bat, "Hold Footprint Monastery". The monastery covers about half of the hilltop. The steep sides of the hill show the remains of what once must have been a robust earthen wall running around the hill. The stupa of this monastery is of modern design and is surrounded by some smaller stupas. There are several small wooden Buddha images in the sanctuary, of the kind one sees in Northern Thailand. Their inscriptions are in Yuan characters, and the language used is classical Kham Muang (Yuan). The monastery buildings such as the vihara and ordination hall are of Northern Thai type and include a typical Lan Na Thai preaching tower, 'thammat'. At least one of the main Buddha images, made of stone and stucco, is of the Burmese type also found in Chiang Mai; other items like walls and their gates remind of the earlier Bangkok era. The local population believe that they have not migrated there from other places.

In the earliest times, Mueang Tak was situated on and around the hill with the Phra That; the earthen wall running around it, is a relic of this time. Pieces of old pottery can still be dug up in the area.

The legend goes that in the Sukhothai days, two wealthy persons, husband and wife, both Thai, lived in Tak right behind the present Phra That stupa. They spent a significant part of their riches in hiring a Burmese architect named ManTa Thok or ManTa Tho to construct the Phra That, which he did, taking the Shwe Dagon as his model. However, the construction of the Phra That was not happily finished because, during the construction period, when everybody concerned had to observe strict religious rules, the rich man's daughter fell in love with the Burmese architect. They used to have intimate relations without their parents' knowledge. When finally, the father knew of it, he was very much afraid of the sin committed and he feared for the merit he had hoped to gain by constructing the Phra That stupa. When the stupa's construction was finished, he sent her away with her lover, but she and her elephant died before reaching Burma. Her ashes were not brought back to Tak but placed in a shrine near the spot where she had died. The stupa seen in Wat Phra That, was constructed by the late abbot (1960 CE) over the stupa built by ManTa Tho. [Source: Penth, Hans. A Note on old Tak. Journal of the Siam Society Volume 61]

Ayutthaya Historical Research