Senior Buddhist Monk Honored on 96th Birthday
Revered Buddhist monk Phra Phrom Wachirmongkol celebrated his 96th birthday with a royal-authorized ceremony in Bangkok, where he distributed 270,000 baht in educational scholarships to eight institutions across Thailand.
On July 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., by royal authorization, Lieutenant General Panat Saeng-thian, Deputy Commander of the Palace Guard Bureau, presented flowers, incense, candles, lustral water, lotus buds, and ceremonial cloth to Phra Phrom Wachirmongkol (Luachai Kunwuttho), abbot of Wat Rachathiwas Wiharn, marking his 96th birthday and the completion of eight twelve-year cycles. The ceremony was held at the Assembly Hall of Wat Rachathiwas Wiharn in Dusit District, Bangkok.
At 10:30 a.m., the Supreme Patriarch authorized Somdet Phra Mahawerawong (Suchin Akkhachino) to perform the lustral water ceremony on behalf of the Supreme Patriarch. The monks and disciples of Wat Rachathiwas Wiharn then held a merit-making ceremony in celebration of the auspicious occasion, with Somdet Phra Mahawerawong presiding.
For this auspicious occasion, Phra Phrom Wachirmongkol presented the "Kunwuttho Thera" educational scholarship fund for 2026 to eight educational institutions totaling 270,000 baht: Wat Kok Piao School in Songkhla (50,000 baht), the Thammayut Sangha in Sukhothai (50,000 baht), Wat Huay Phud School in Songkhla (30,000 baht), Wat Huay Phud School in Songkhla (20,000 baht), Wat Thamnab School in Songkhla (20,000 baht), Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (30,000 baht), King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Thonburi (30,000 baht), and Wat Rachathiwas Secondary School (40,000 baht). The scholarships aim to promote Buddhist education, support youth development, and cultivate human resources as a vital force for Buddhism and society.
Phra Phrom Wachirmongkol currently serves as abbot of Wat Rachathiwas in Wachirpayaban Subdistrict, Dusit District, Bangkok. Born on July 7, 1930, in Tamnab Village, Songkhla Province, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk on July 5, 1950, at Wat Huay Phud in Songkhla. He excelled in Pali and Buddhist teachings, and has held numerous important positions overseeing education and monastic administration. He was appointed abbot of Wat Rachathiwas in 2000 and was elevated to the ecclesiastical rank of Phra Racha in 1972.
