Royal Chronicles describe Wat Sop Sawan as it relates to a heroic woman who died in
battle while saving the life of the King. As the story goes, King Chakkraphat and two of
his sons were leading an army into battle against the Burmese. Queen Suriyothai, fearing
for her family’s safety, secretly dressed as a male soldier and rode an elephant into the
fight. While fighting a Burmese general on the back of an elephant, King Chakkraphat’s
elephant stumbled, which put him at risk to his opponent’s blade. Queen Suriyothai
heroically charged in front of the enemy’s weapon, sacrificing her own life in his place.
Her body was then carried by boat down the Chao Phraya River to the area around this
temple. In her honor, King Chakkraphat had a funeral monument and a preaching hall
constructed on the site of her Royal cremation. When it was finished, the King bestowed
it with the name Sop Sawan Monastery (Cushman 40-41).
Wat Sop Sawan is also mentioned in Royal Chronicles as it relates to warfare. Burmese
armies set up a number of stockades west of the city. One of these Burmese stockades
was situated directly across the river from Wat Sop Sawan (where Wat Thammaram is
located today). This strategic position put Burmese cannons within firing range of the
Rear Palace (Wang Lang). As a result, Siamese troops dragged armaments to an
embrasure at the Wat Sop Sawan corner and fired into the middle of the Burmese army.
Cannon balls killed many elephants, horses, and soldiers (Cushman 60-61).