Ayutthaya - Wat Mahathat Temple
Wat Mahathat was built around the 1300's and is one of Ayutthaya's oldest shrines, it was also the home of the Supreme Patriach.
In 1767 the Burmese attacked and looted and burnt down whatever they could, as per usual with the Burmese they smashed all the heads off of the Bhudha statues.
Wat Mahathat was ordered to be built by King Borom Rachathirat I.
Its current name was given during the reign of King Ramesuan (1388-1395).
Today, the central prang of the temple is pretty much a pile of bricks. It first collapsed during the reign of King Song Tham (1610-1628) and was repaired during the reign of the following ruler, King Prasat Thong (1629-1656). The reconstruction raised the prang to 44 meters and then to 51 meters which made it the tallest prang in Ayutthaya.
In 1956 they started excavating the grounds and found a buried treasure chest containing gold Buddha images and precious stones.
Admission is 30baht, the Temple is on the corner of Naresuan Road and Chi Kun Road, also has parking.
This is probably one of the most interesting bits of the Temple, one of the smashed off sandstone heads being lifted off the ground by a Bodhi tree.
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A row of headless statues.
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This one looks a bit drunk.
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From TAT
Located in front of the Grand Palace to the east near Pa Than Bridge, it was constructed in the reign of King Borom Rachathirat I. It houses the holy relics of Lord Buddha. Wat Mahathat is open everyday from 8.00 a.m.-6.00 p.m. Admission fee is 30 baht.
Ayutthaya Historical Park provides the audio tour in English described for Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Chai Watthanaram, and Wat Mahathat. Available at Ayutthaya Historical Park ticketing counter. The fee is 150 baht.
