Luang Pho Pleum Medal From Swan Garden Temple

Luang Pho Pleum Jittasanyatho, or Phra Kru Sumankonarak, was a revered abbot of Swan Garden Temple in Bang Plama District, Suphan Buri Province, deeply respected by the local community. Born into the Suphaphinij family on Thursday, 17 October 1907 at Ban Yod, Khaohong Subdistrict, Bang Plama District, Suphan Buri, he ordained as a novice at age 14 at Wat Noi in Bang Plama, and again a year later at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok under Somdet Phra Wanrat. He pursued his monastic education diligently, passing the lower Dharma examination (Naktham Chattani) in 1926 and the three-verse Dharma examination in 1928.

At age 21, he was fully ordained at Wat Mahathat with Somdet Phra Wanrat as his preceptor, receiving the monastic name "Jittasanyatho." Driven by his passion for learning, he obtained a four-verse Dharma diploma in 1931 and was appointed a teacher of Pali grammar at Wat Mahathat's school. He later taught at temples in Ayutthaya, including Wat Chao Chet and Wat Khok Thong, where he met a lay teacher named Suwan who instructed him in vipassana meditation practice for approximately four years.

He traveled to various temples seeking seclusion for his practice: in 1941 to Wat Kluay in Ayutthaya; from 1942 to Wat Tham Takokn in Lopburi; and from 1943 he moved between temples in Suphan Buri, including Wat Khwang in Bang Plama before settling at Wat Prasattong in Muang District. In 1945, he was appointed a provincial judge of monastic discipline with jurisdiction over seven districts. On 27 July 1948, he was appointed abbot of Swan Garden Temple and head of the Khok Khram Subdistrict monastic assembly.

In 1959, he was granted the ecclesiastical title "Phra Kru Sumankonarak" by royal decree as a "phat phiset" or special honor—notably the first such title ever granted to a commoners' temple and the last of its kind, marking an extraordinary distinction. Swan Garden Temple is an ancient monastery whose name appears in the Suphanburi poetry of the celebrated poet Sunthorn Phu, established around 1736. Local lore holds that two wealthy villagers named Suan and Hong founded the temple and gave it their names.

As the fourth abbot, Luang Pho Pleum brought profound development to the temple and community. He transformed the waterlogged temple grounds by filling and landscaping them with trees. His foremost priority was education: monks and novices at Swan Garden achieved high numbers of Dharma examination passes annually, and he consistently supported village children's schooling, including presiding over the construction of a primary school building and organizing merit-making ceremonies to assist other schools.

After a prolonged illness lasting 85 days, he passed away peacefully on 23 March 2002 at the age of 94, having lived 74 monastic rains. A bronze medal of Luang Pho Pleum was cast in 1997 to commemorate his 91st birthday celebration. The medal was blessed through a private consecration ceremony at the temple's ordination hall. Part of the proceeds from the medal's rental for worship were directed toward improving the temple's grounds and surroundings during that period.