Wat Uttamaram in Pasir Mas
high-definition creative commons photographs from Kelantan, Malaysia, showing the architecture of this old Thai tradition temple, together with further information.
Front View of Main Temple
Wat Uttamaram is itself just outside of Tumpat, near Kampung Teresek in the neighbouring district of Pasir Mas. It is certainly one of the oldest and most impressive of the temples we visited in Kelantan, though unfortunately the current abbot, Phra Khru Udomdhamma Patibhano (Than Boon) had gone to Kedah for a Sangha meeting the day we went, so we were unable to access the interior of the main temple, and for the same reason we were unable to get any historical information about the temple.
The previous Abbot, who was known as Tok Raja, was very famous in his day. He was born in 1876, and took full ordination when he was 21. He managed to establish the first Thai monastic school (Nakthom) in Kelantan. Amulets and Tongkats (wands) that he made during his time in charge are still highly valued, and even the Sultan of Kelantan visited him and was cured of an ailment. He passed away just 15 days short of receiving his Chao Khun title from the King of Thailand.
Photographs by Anandajoti Bhikkhu
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License