The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

MONKS AND HIEHAHCHY JN NOH'J'HEHN 'J'JIAJL,\Nll 135
monastery as the abbot requires. Monastery boys perform many tasks
that make life a bit easier for monks and novices, and many a Thai male
would never have been able to afford a secular education were he not
able to be a dek wat for some undeFstanding monk.
One could continue
to account for other laymen and women who have important roles to
play at monasteries, but such are beyond the scope of this paper.
The Thammayut Hierarchy
As noted earlier, we have been discussing the hierarchy for the
majority of the Thai Sangha, who are in the Mahanikaia Sect.
A similar
system exists for the Thammayut Sect but since it has only slightly
more than a thousand monasteries to more than 24,000 for the other sect,
there is no need for so many officials in the Thammayut organization.24
At times when the Supreme Patriarch is Thammayut, be may act himself
as the Area Supervisor (Chao Khana Yai) for the entire country (See
Table 1).
Whereas the Mahanikaia Sect has 18 Regional Heads (Chao
Khana Phak), the Tbammayut have 7, telescoping regions so that Cbiengmai
Province, for example, is grouped in with three others. A similar
telescoping occurs at the level of the Provincial Head (Chao Khana Changwat),
who, for this area, is the abbot of Wat Cbedi Luang.
We have already mentioned this monk above as co-holder of the
highest honorary title held in the province-Raja Khana Thep (tf6, Table
2), and his monastery is the third most prestigious royal monastery in
the province. , His jurisdiction as Thammayut Chao Khana Changwat
covers the secular provinces of Chiengmai, Lamphun, Lampang, Chiengrai,
and Mae Hong Sorn.
Mahanikaia ones.
Thus a Thammayut "province" includes five
The District Head (Chao Khana Amphur} for the
Thammayut also resides as deputy abbot at Wat Chedi Luang, from
which be controls JO wats in the (secular) provinces ofChiengmai (9 wats)
24) These figures are base4 on 4!\tll frQlll l.97Q, ~ee Dept. of Rel. 1\ffllirs (1.970;
J 6S),