This old temple on the riverbank was built in the late-Ayutthaya Period, and was called Wat Maha But after the monk who initiated its construction. Locals, however, often called it Wat Mae Nak Phra Khanong, after the spirit house of Mae Nak, a legendary spirit who has been much revered for more than a century. Her spirit house is filled with flower garlands from worshippers.
Mae Nak’s haunting stories took place by Phra Khanong Canal. Legend had it that by the canal near Wat Maha But, Mae Nak and her husband, Thit Mak, Made their home in a tiny hut. During the war, Thit Mak was drafted. Mae Nak was home alone when she was in labor and died in childbirth. Because of her husband, she did not want to leave and waited for his return. Once her husband knew that she was just a ghost, he fled to the temple. |
