Ayutthaya Wat Mahathat, Thailand

Address

Ayutthaya Wat Mahathat, Naresuan Rd, Tha Wasukri, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, 13000, Thailand

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

Wat Maha That or the Monastery of the Great Relic is located on the city island in the central part of Ayutthaya in Tha Wasukri sub-district. The temple is situated on the corner of the present Chikun Road and Naresuan Road. The monastery stood on the west bank of Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak, an important canal, which has been filled up somewhere in the early 20th century. In ancient times the temple was likely fully surrounded by canals and moats. The structure has been registered as a national historic site by the Fine Arts Department on 8 March 1935 and is part of the Ayutthaya World Heritage Historical Park.

Puranic Significance

Wat Maha That was one of the most important monasteries of the Ayutthaya kingdom, not only because it was the religious centre and enshrined relics of the Buddha, but also because of its proximity to the Grand Palace. It was a royal monastery and the seat of the Supreme Patriarch of the City Dwelling sect till the end of the Ayutthaya period – at par with the Supreme Patriarch of the Forest Dwelling sect, which had its seat at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon (called Wat Pa Kaeo in earlier times). Wat Phra Mahathat, Thailand, was a royal Temple of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It is one of the oldest and most significant temples in the history of Ayutthaya as it housed the Buddha’s holy relic. When the Ayutthaya Kingdom failed in 1767, Wat Phra Mahathat was severely damaged by fire and was since abandoned. The temple is located in the area of the Ayutthaya Historical Park nowadays. Ayutthaya include remains of important old buildings such as pagodas, octagonal pagodas, royal hall, small temples, murals under a Bodhi tree, and the famous sand-stone Ayutthaya-style head of the Buddha image in a tree’s root.