Attraction Details :
Wat Mahathat is located west of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet, at the foot of Paa Than bridge.
According to some historical records,
the temple was built during the reign of Somdet Phra Borom Rachathirat
I. Later Somdet Phra Ramesuan enshrined the reliquary inside the
foundation of the Prang, and this incident thus originated the temple’s
name “Wat Mahathat” or “Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahatat” which means the
sacred temple where the relics of the Lord Buddha were installed. The
Prang of Wat Mahathat was built in Early Ayutthaya. Its structure became
the traditional model when constructing a temple and can be found
nationwide. Within the kingdom of Ayutthaya, the reliquary holds
historical and religious significance as the edifice representing the
Buddha. It is believe that Somdet Phra Borom Rachathirat I or Khun Luang
Pa Ngua granted a permission to build the temple, but the completion
took place during the reign of Somdet Phra Ramesuan. The Prang in which
the holy relics were installed was greatly influenced by Khmer-style
architecture - the lower part was made of laterite, whereas the upper
part was masonry. There was a restoration during the reign of Somdet
Phrachao Prasatthong in order to heighten the Prang, but this caused a
serious damage to the top and the Prang was left alone with the portico.
It was so unfortunate, as it was such an enormous and magnificent one.
In 1956 the Fine Arts Department made another attempt to renovate and
found a large number of invaluable antiques, such as the stone casket
containing the relics. The casket is in fact consists of 7 superimposing
stupas: a combination of lead and tin, silver, copper alloy, ebony,
sandalwood, garnet and gold. Nowadays the casket is kept in Chao Sam
Phaya National Museum.
Additionally, highlights of Wat
Mahathat include the octagonal pagoda, the plaster base of a Buddha
image, the medium-size Prang with mural paintings about the life of the
Buddha, the resident hall of the Buddhist Supreme Patriarch and other
smaller Viharas. What seems to be the most prominent landmark of the
temple is the head of a sandstone Buddha image entwined in the roots of a
Bodhi tree.
