  Wat Chaiwattanaram, Ayutthaya
Wat Chaiwattanaram is a Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya built by King Prasat Thong (1635-1655) in 1630. (See Ayutthaya History) It was built to celebrate his victory over the Khmers. And to make merit for his mother, he sited the temple on his mother's old residence.
Wat Chaiwattanaram, Ayutthaya, with its corncob-shaped prang surrounded by four smaller chedis. (30 December 2002)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
A prang and a chedi of Wat Chaiwattanaram (30 December 2002)
© Timothy Tye using this photo |
A gallery of 120 stucco images can be found running along the four sides of the temple. Within the lesser studas are twelve crowned Buddha images. The ordination hall is located to the east of the main prang. The main prang is 35 meters high. The four chedis surrounding it have seven levels.
Wat Chaiwattanaram was a temple where the king and his descendents could perform religious rites. It has also been used for the cremation of the members of the royal family of Ayutthaya. The temple was used as an army camp when Ayutthaya was besieged by the Burmese, in the attack of 1767. When Ayutthaya fell, Wat Chaiwattanaram suffered massive destruction, looting and decapitation of its many Buddha figures. Restoration work was begun by the Fine Arts Department in 1987, and completed in 1992.
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