Situated 800 metres west of Wat Phra Phai Luang is Wat Si Chum. A wihan in the form of a square mondop, which is the main sanctuary, houses a large monumental stucco Buddha image in the attitude of subduing Mara called “Phra Atchana”, which is 11.3 meters wide.
“Achana” means a person who is not anxious but strong.
The roof has already disintegrated, exposing just 4 walls of stuccoed bricks. There is a narrow passageway in the south wall with steps leading up to the side of the Buddha image and onto the top part of the wall. On the wall of the passageway features 700-year-old fainted paintings while on the ceiling are more than 50 engraved slate slabs illustrating Jataka scenes.
A spectacular panoramic view of the Sukhothai Ancient City is visible on the rooftop accessible by the passageway.
To boost morale of the ancient soldiers was the main reason for such mystery in Wat Si Chum. The kings of the Phra Ruang Dynasty were famous for that. One could go through the hidden ...
Wat Pho, known as the Monastery of the Bodhi Tree, stands as a relatively well-preserved temple ruin off the city island of Ayutthaya. The site lies in an area once called Thung Kaeo, positioned between the remains of Wat Kuti Thong and Wat Wong Khong. Flooding can make access difficult during the rainy season.
The monastery was originally approached by water along a now-filled canal known as Khlong Wat Pho, which appears on historical maps from the early twentieth century and likely connected to other local waterways such as Khlong Pha Lai. A ferry once operated across the old course of the Lopburi River from the Ten Cowries Landing near Wat Thammikarat on the city side. Traces of a surrounding moat remain visible in places.
What survives on the ground consists of the restored ruins of an ordination hall and a sermon hall, together with the foundations of four smaller chedis, all enclosed by an outer wall of the type known as a crystal wall. These principal structures are aligned east-west, with ...
Wat Sangka Tha วัดสังขทา
Wat Sangkha Tha is located on the city island in the southwestern part of Ayutthaya. The temple is licsted in the Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park. Wat Sangkha Thae and Wat Chedi Yai are nearby Wat Chao Phram and several other ruins are located just east of here.
Being part of the Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park the ruin has been restored by the Fine Arts Department. The site consists of two monastic structures, an ordination hall and a wihan, both with a chedi.
Two other monastic structures are also nearby. A wihan called Wat Sangkha Thae or the "Monastery of the True Monkhood" and likely a bell or drum tower.
The whole complex is surrounded by a moat. All buildings were probably originally part of one temple but early maps show them as two seperate temples.
Its historical background and period of construction are unknown with most records being destroyed during the fall of the city to the Burmese in 1767. The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya mention an important ...
Wat Bowon Sathan Sutthawat (วัดบวรสถานสุทธาวาส), also widely known as Wat Phra Kaew Wang Na, stands as a quiet yet significant royal temple within the grounds of Bangkok’s former Front Palace, now part of the Bunditpatanasilpa Institute complex near the National Theatre and close to the Bangkok National Museum. Unlike ordinary temples, this sacred site has never housed resident monks, serving instead as the private chapel of the Front Palace in much the same way that Wat Phra Kaew functions within the Grand Palace.
Its story begins in the reign of King Rama I, when Prince Maha Surasinghanat established a small convent called Wat Luang Chi for royal women of Khmer origin to observe religious precepts.
By the time of King Rama II the buildings had fallen into disuse and were cleared to create a rabbit garden. Under King Rama III, Prince Maha Sakdiphonlasep, the Front Palace ruler of the day, dedicated the land to a new temple as an act of Buddhist merit and ...
