Bangkok Monk Promoted to Senior Royal Ecclesiastical Rank
On 31 August 2026, the Royal Gazette announced a royal promotion that elevated Bangkok‑based monk Phra Wachirat Rattana Rangsi to the senior Raj ecclesiastical rank. The 68‑year‑old monk, who has served as assistant abbot of Wat Hong Rattanaram and advisor to Ecclesiastical Region 10, was born Subun Bunma in Sisaket Province in 1958. The announcement highlights his decades of study, monastic appointments, and efforts to preserve ancient temple manuscripts.
The Royal Gazette’s announcement on 31 August 2026 details that Phra Wachirat Rattana Rangsi (Subun Rattanyano) was ordained on 23 March 1978 at Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai in Uthumphon Phisai District, Sisaket, under the guidance of Phra Aphithakket Suphatto, Luang Pho Suk Kho Wittoto, and Phra Ajarn Somchai. After studying Pali scriptures and passing successive examinations in Dhamma, he moved to Bangkok in 1983 to study at Wat Hong Rattanaram, where he memorized the Patimokkha and joined the monastic faculty. He passed the third‑level Pali examination in 1987, was appointed to the Mahachulalongkorn Examination Board in 2000, became assistant abbot in 2006, and was named advisor to Ecclesiastical Region 10 in 2024. His earlier promotions to monastic ranks occurred in 2008, 2012, and 2016, culminating in the Raj‑rank appointment in 2026. He has also worked to preserve and publish ancient palm‑leaf and khoi manuscripts from the temple dating to the late Ayutthaya period.
