Venerable Luang Pho Phet, Revered Monk, Remembered
Luang Pho Phet Intrachote, a revered Buddhist monk and scholar born in 1852, was remembered for founding Wat Wichit Pradistha in Surat Thani and his strict devotion to monastic discipline and community service.
Phra Kru Prakasat Tham Khun, known as Luang Pho Phet Intrachote, was a prominent and respected Buddhist scholar and abbot. Originally named Phet Sae Tung, he was born on the fifteenth day of the waning moon in the seventh month of the Year of the Tiger, 2395 Buddhist Era (1852), in Nakhon Sri Thammarat during the reign of King Rama IV. His parents were Khao and Kimlung Sae Tung.
At age eight, his parents sent him to study under Phra Kru Karam at Wat Mueang Khon. At thirteen, he left to stay with Phra Siri Tham Borirak, a city official, assisting with various duties including military campaigns against Chinese invaders at Trai Buri. After his parents passed away when he was thirty, he pursued private studies in Buddhist discipline and meditation.
At age forty-two, dissatisfied with lay life, he set out to visit his younger brother in Bangkok but fell ill at Ban Don, Surat Thani. Recovering while staying at Wat Thai under Phra Daeng, he developed deep faith in Buddhism and requested ordination at Wat Klang in 1899, where he received the religious name Intrachote, meaning "radiant as Indra." He studied Buddhist texts for two years.
In 1899, residents of Ban Cheng-a invited him to reside at their temple, then called Wat Don Takhian. He gradually restored and expanded it. In 1905, the temple received royal permission to be officially established as Wat Wichit Pradistha, meaning "the temple founded by Luang Pho Phet." A boundary ceremony was conducted and an ordination hall completed that same year.
In 1910, he was appointed preceptor and district ecclesiastical leader of Kanjanadit. In 1918, he was elevated to the rank of Phra Kru Prakasat Tham Khun. He was known for strict adherence to monastic discipline, compassion, and devotion to serving the community. In his final years, weakened by age and infirmity, he passed away peacefully.
