Wat Chaiyo or Wat Ket Chaiyo was built during the Ayutthaya Period. It became important during the reign of King Rama IV. The venerable Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phromrangsi) of Wat Rakhang Khositaram built the large Buddha image in a subduing Mara gesture and placed it outdoors. However, the image collapsed soon after construction. He re-built it in the same pose but smaller, covered it in plaster and without gold leaf. As the image could be seen from far, the villagers called it Luangpho To (meaning huge image). Further temple restoration during the reign of King Rama V the Buddha image collapsed again. The King ordered the renovation of the image with steel bars inside. The new image was covered in gold leaf and monks’ robes and was given the new name by King Rama V the Great “Phra Maha Phutthaphim”. A new main chapel was constructed to house the image. Upon completion, King Rama V the Great established the temple as one of the royal temples.
To pay respect to Luangpho ...
Prasat Sikhoraphum is a well-preserved Khmer temple complex located in the district of the same name in Surin Province, northeastern Thailand, approximately 30 to 35 kilometers east of Surin town. Built primarily during the 11th or 12th century as a Hindu sanctuary, it reflects the architectural and religious influence of the Khmer Empire that once extended into this region.
Historians often associate its construction with the reign of a Khmer king such as Suryavarman I, Udayadityavarman II, or Suryavarman II, though the precise ruler remains uncertain, with stylistic evidence pointing toward an earlier period in some analyses.
The temple was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, evident in its carvings and overall design. It features a distinctive quincunx layout of five brick prangs, or towers, arranged on a single square laterite platform, with the central prang rising about 32 meters high and the four smaller ones surrounding it. This arrangement is relatively uncommon in Thailand but ...
Prang Phon Songkhram is a Khmer ruin located in Ban Phon Songkhram, Tambon Phon Songkhram, Amphoe Non Sung, Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeastern Thailand. It stands as one of the 102 arogayasala, or hospital temples, constructed during the reign of King Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire, who ruled approximately from 1181 to 1218.
These structures formed part of an ambitious public welfare initiative that combined medical care with Buddhist spiritual practices, reflecting the king’s deep commitment to alleviating suffering among his subjects as inspired by Mahayana Buddhist ideals.
Jayavarman VII, who shifted the empire’s religious emphasis toward Buddhism after periods of Hindu dominance, ordered the building of these standardized facilities across his vast territory, which included parts of modern-day Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos.
An important inscription at Ta Prohm temple in Angkor, dated to 1186, records the establishment of these 102 hospitals, each equipped to provide free healthcare ...
Wat Phlapphla Chai, also spelled Wat Phlabphla Chai and known in Thai as วัดพลับพลาไชย, is a restored temple ruin situated within the Ayutthaya Historical Park on the city island, north of Wat Ratchaburana and roughly between that major site and Wat Suwannawat, with the area once lying inside the old city walls and facing the now-buried Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak canal.
Its name translates to the Monastery of the Victory Pavilion, evoking associations with royal or military triumphs, though the temple itself predates the specific events that may have inspired later interpretations of the title.
exact founding date and builder of Wat Phlapphla Chai remain unknown, with no clear records identifying its original patron, yet it is generally believed to date from the early Ayutthaya period. The earliest documented reference appears in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya, specifically in the Phan Chanthanumath edition, tying the site to a dramatic succession conflict in 1424. ...
