Information: Wat Chaiwatthanaram, one of the most imposing ancient Buddhist monasteries, was established by the command of King Prassatthong in 1630 A.D. It is believed that the wat is located on the site of his former home. The reason for his building this monastery was to make merit for his mother. Prince Damrong Rachanupjap noted that its architecture was similar to that of Angkor Wat and inferred that the war might have been built to connenorate the King's victory were Cambodia.

The main prang, which stands 35 meters high, was in the early Ayutthaya style. The four lesser prangs, however, are in the style of King Prasattong. They have seven levels. The form of the eight lesser prangs might have been taken from the shape of a royal cremation tower in the Ayutthaya period. This Thai type of tower represents Mt. Meru, the center of the universe.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram was a royal monastery. It was a wat where the King and his descendants would perform religious rities, thus renovation would have been continuous. It was also used as a cremation site for princes, princess, and other members of the royal family. When Prince Thammathibet died, for instance, King Borommakot decreed that an area in the Wat be used as the site for his cremation.

In 1767 A.D. Ayutthaya the capital of Thailand was besieged by Burmeese invaders and the Wat became an army camp. After the fall of Ayutthaya, Wat Chaiwatthanaram and the Wat became an army camp. After the fall of Ayutthaya, Wat Chaiwatthanaram was abandoned. Looting, the decaplitation of Buddha images, and the selling of brick from the Wat became common practices. Finally in 1987 A.D. the conservation of the Wat was begun by the Thai Fine Arts Department and was completed in 1992 A.D.

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit had the Tumnak Palace built across the river from Wat Chaiwatthanaram

Information: This is a wonderful temple for a visit, but surprisingly little known by tourists. It has many hidden pleasures. There are a number of Khmer-style prangs; some of which still showcase several standing Buddha images. If you look closely at the southern base of the central prang there is a hole in which you can walk inside and view the maze-like construction. Don’t miss the wonderful murals inside the viharn by the riverside (Klong Muang, the old Lopburi River). The paint is slowly peeling away, so they might not last much longer.

It is not clear when this temple was originally established or who built it. Some sources date its construction to 1357. This temple was located along an important trading route. There was once a royal silk warehouse and some floating markets nearby. It was also called Wat Teen Tha due to its location near an old dock on the north end of Klong Tho (Wat Buddhaisawan is located at the opposite southern end of the same canal). It was renovated by Phraya Kosa Pan in the time of King Narai (1656-1688), and later by King Borommakot (1733-1758). According to one legend, this temple was made by a wealthy man after his daughter eloped against his will. He planned on giving this land to her for a bridal home, but since she never returned it became a temple site instead. Another theory was that it was named after a grassy clearing used to feed palace elephants and horses. Wat Cheong Tha is also noted as the site where Phraya Tak Sin served as a novice monk before leading Siam to victory after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. In more modern times this temple has doubled as a school.

Information: Wat Kasatthirat was built during the later period of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The well restored prang is relatively small. There are no stairs to access a niche inside the prang. Instead there are only small niches on the outside of the structure. The prang also tapers gently towards the top, and there are no decorations halfway (often garudas on older prangs).

Information: The primary feature of this wat is the huge reclining Buddha image, Phra Budhasaiyart, located in the ruined viharn and facing towards the East. It was constructed of bricks and cement in the Middle Ayutthaya Period and is 37 meters long and 8 meters high. The head is resting on a lotus and the legs overlap squarely to show the equalized toes. The image was restored in 1954 and again in 1989.

Information: Wat Mahathat is one of the most important temples in Ayutthaya. And yet I was challenged to find something worth photographing about it. To me, this is a jumbled pile of rocks and bricks. No doubt, it was badly ruined. The Burmese torched it when they destroyed the city of Ayutthaya back in 1767. Nevertheless, its main chedi was still standing, way up till the time of King Chulalongkorn. Then on 25 May 1904, at 5:00 am, the main chedi fell to the ground and was left lying there in ruins since. 

Wat Mahathat was built by King Borom Ratchathirat I in 1374, to serve as the sacred centre of the capital city. That's because the crypt within is supposed to enshrine the Buddha's relics (hence the name Mahathat, which means Great Relic). The crypt was unearthed in 1956, along with a recovery of a horde of gold dedication items. These are now on display at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.

Information: Wat Maheyong was built during the reign of King Borom Ratchathirat II (1424-1448 A.D.). The temple compound housed a huge ubosoth. The temple was renovated in 1709 by King Tai Sa.

Behind the Ubosoth is the Chedi Chang Lom. This is a bell shaped chedi on top of a square base. The base itself is decorated with elephant figures. This design is reminiscent of Chedi Chang Lom in Sukhothai, which has similar elephant decorations.

Information: Wat Na Phra is worth visiting to see the black stone Buddha dating from the Mon (Dvaravati) period, as well as the principal Buddha decorated in regal attire. The building has stunning vaulted ceilings supported by ornate pineapple-shaped columns.  

Wat Na Phra Mane also has historical importance: it was the site of Thai-Burmese peace talks ending the years of aggression in the late 1700s.

Information: It was built by Angel Indra in the reign of King Ramathibodee ll in 1503 A.D. One of the most beautiful of Ayutthaya monasteries. The Ubosot design is early Ayutthaya style, The main Buddha image name is "Phra Buddhanimitwichitmara Molee Srisanphet Boromtrilokant", fully decorated in regal attire.

Information: Wat Panan Choeng is an old monastery housing Thailand's largest ancient Buddha image (19 meter high), known as "Luang Po To". A historical cronicle states that this gilded stucco image was built in A.D.1344, some 26 years  before the establishment of Ayutthaya as the capital of the Thai Kingdom in A.D.1350.

The central Buddha image is surrounded by many other minor figures. On the walls, especially at the back behind the image, are hundreds of niches containing small buddha images. Each Buddha in a niche represents a donation to the temple.

Hard up against the wiharn, between it and the river, is a small 18^th century shrine. The story goes that the shrine was built to honor a Chinese Princess who drowned herself because of the king's infidelity (given that the kings of Ayutthaya had many wives, this story seems rather unlikely.) The shrine remains very popular with members of the Chinese community to this day.

The shrine is traditional in design, with the outer wall essentially joining two separate buildings together and an open space in between. The two-storey structure has a large alter below and a smaller one on a second floor. The window shutters and doors are highly decorated with dragons and phoenix birds.

Information: Wat Phra Ram was built in 1912 B.E. by King Ramesuan at the cremation site for his father, King Uthong. Since he reigned initially only for one year, it is assumed the construction was completed by this successor King Borom Rachathirat I, or by King Ramesuan during his second reign. The temple has been restored a few times in the subsequent centuries, during the reign of King Borom Trailokanath, and later by King Borom Kot in 2284 B.E. The temple compound houses a large prang and many chedis.