Abbot of Uthai Thammararam Temple Opens Up About 11-Rai Land Dispute and Legal Battle

The abbot of Uthai Thammararam Temple admitted that the heirs of Mrs. Uthai have filed lawsuits against the temple twice demanding the return of land. He pointed out that after the land was donated, it became state property. The abbot is not the temple owner and cannot transfer ownership rights back. He revealed that the temple is severely troubled; being a Dhammayut Forest Tradition temple, it has never had donation boxes or engaged in public fundraising and must raise money to fight the legal case.

This concerns a lawsuit against Uthai Thammar Temple in Bang Sai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, after heirs of Mrs. Uthai, who donated the land, filed to reclaim over 11 rai even though the land title was legally transferred in 2019. The temple's steward explained the dispute likely stems from land prices nearly doubling from 400,000 to 800,000 baht per rai. Meanwhile, a man claiming to be a relative appeared asking for 5 rai of temple land, which the temple refused. The temple also faced complaints requesting a ban on cremations citing “fear of ghosts,” causing significant trouble and forcing the temple to raise funds to fight in court, as previously reported.

On 27 August 2026, Phra Maha Peeradon Thitthammo, holding the seventh-level Pali scripture certification (P.D. 7) and abbot of Uthai Thammararam Temple, spoke openly about the situation amid rumors that Mrs. Uthai’s heirs sued the temple to reclaim the land. He confirmed the matter is real and that Mrs. Uthai’s heirs filed lawsuits twice to reclaim the land.

Timeline: The origin and history of the land donation, from the past to the present.

• In 1997, Mrs. Uthai Kanthanithee donated the land title deed to Phra Maha Boonsong Pitipunyo, who then held the ninth-level Pali scripture certification and was at that time at a temple in Pathum Thani Province. She donated a total of 11 rai, 3 ngan, and 76 square wah. Since Mrs. Uthai had no children, she divided her inheritance among siblings, donating this portion to Phra Maha Boonsong, the former abbot, to establish Uthai Thammararam Temple.
• First lawsuit from 2019 to 2024: Mr. Singh, Mrs. Uthai’s younger brother, disagreed with her donation of over 11 rai to the temple and sued the court to have all the land granted to the heirs instead. The case was in the primary court.
• On 29 January 2024, the primary court ruled that the land donated fully belongs to Uthai Thammararam Temple. However, Mrs. Uthai died in an accident on 24 February 2024 before the ownership title was transferred to the temple’s name. Consequently, on 10 June 2024, Mr. Singh, the heir, transferred ownership to Uthai Thammararam Temple’s name according to the court’s order, as recorded correctly on the back of the land title deed.
• The second lawsuit occurred in 2026. Mr. Kian, another younger brother of Mrs. Uthai who sells sugarcane juice, sued to reclaim all 11 rai of temple land at the primary court. The current abbot received a court summons on 8 June 2026.

Due to this, the temple had to attend court hearings with Mrs. Uthai’s heirs twice: the first hearing on 3 August and the second on 18 August. The primary court scheduled the verdict for 14 September. This legal process has imposed significant expenses on the temple, which has never had donation boxes or conducted public fundraising, being a Dhammayut Forest Tradition temple.

“I want people to understand that no monk in Thailand has the authority to return land to the donor’s heirs or to sell temple land. After donation, the land becomes state property. It is not the abbot’s authority—the abbot is not the temple’s owner,” he explained.

Additionally, Phra Maha Peeradon Thitthammo addressed the temporary suspension of crematorium use, clarifying it is unrelated to Mrs. Uthai’s heirs. The crematorium was built about 30 years ago by a former abbot and was in use while the venerable monk was still alive. The temple applied for an environmentally friendly crematorium permit from the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Provincial Administrative Organization, and shortly after, the venerable monk passed away.

The temple received a generous 2-million-baht budget approval from the provincial governor to install the pollution-free crematorium. Subsequently, some local villagers living directly opposite the crematorium became fearful and requested a temporary suspension of its use. This has caused an ongoing dispute to this day.

The reporter noted that at times, Phra Maha Peeradon Thitthammo, abbot of Uthai Thammararam Temple, explained that the temple’s name, Uthai, comes from Mrs. Uthai Kanthanithee, the land donor.