Your base for this sight is the Unesco World Heritage City of Ayutthaya. For travel information on Ayutthaya, read the AsiaExplorers Ayutthaya Travel Guide. For day trips to Ayutthaya, use Bangkok as your base. Read the Bangkok Travel Guide for more information.
Viharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit is believed to have been builted during the reign of King Chairachathirat, around 1538. The huge Buddha statue, Phra Mongkhon Bophit, was previously sitting outdoors at Wat Chichiang, but was moved indoors here by King Song Tham (refer to Ayutthaya History). However, the roof collapsed after it was struck by lightning, during the reign of King Sua (aka Sanpet III).
The Buddha statue of Mongkol Bophit
When the Burmese destroyed Ayutthaya, both the viharn and the Phra Mongkhon Bophit were seriously damaged by fire. The huge Buddha statue was left exposed to the elements for close to two centuries until the reign of King Rama VI, in 1920, when a restoration work was carried out. A large number of Buddha images was found here, and were taken to the nearby Chao Sam Phraya National Museum for safekeeping.
In 1957, the Fine Arts Department undertook a major restoration work, and a new viharn was built, according to the design of the original, to house the Buddha statue. In 1990, the provincial administration of Ayutthaya obtained permission from the Fine Arts Department to cover the statue with gold leave, to commemorate the 60th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.
Tours of Thailand
If you are looking for tours in Thailand, contact my tour company, Pristina Tours in Phuket at +66 76 204031. We also have an office in Penang, Malaysia which you can also contact, at +604-2268121. Our staff will be able to assist you for any tours in Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi, and other places in Thailand. You can also email us at the following email address:
View of Viharn Phra Mongkol Bophit from the front, that is, from the east side.
Ayutthaya Travel Guide
Useful information on the ruins and tourist attractions in Ayutthaya
Hotel Room Price Checker
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Reasonable care is taken to check and verify the accuracy of the content. AsiaExplorers disclaims responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the tips and advice provided directly or indirectly by this website. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may use the information on this website on your blog or website so long as you place a dofollow link back to the page in AsiaExplorers where it appears. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses. To contact Tim, write to the following email address:
