Wat Phra Si Sanphet Thailand

Address

Wat Phra Si Sanphet Tambon Pratuchai, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, Si Ayutthaya 13000, Thailand

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

Wat Phra Si Sanphet was the Buddhist holiest temple on the site of the old Royal Palace in Thailand’s ancient capital of Ayutthaya until the city was completely destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. Wat Phra Sri Sanphet is located in Pratu Chai subdistrict, Phra Nakorn Si Ayutthaya district, Ayutthaya province. The Temple is not only a significant historical site, but also considered as the spiritual center of Thais for a long time. Situated within the royal Palace grounds, Wat Phra Sri Sanphet is the royal monastery and therefore no monk is allowed to reside at. During the reign of Ramathibodi II, an enormous Buddha image was cast. The Buddha image of Phra Sri Sanphetdayan is 16 meters high and its surface is coated with 143 kilograms of gold. It had been enshrined inside the assembly hall until the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 when the Burmese invaded and melted the gilded gold away. The Buddha image was seriously damaged.

Puranic Significance

In 1350 U-thong, also known as King Ramathibodi I, ordered the construction of a royal palace in the same area that Wat Pra Si Sanphet stands today. The palace was completed in 1351 and King Ramathibodi established Ayutthaya as the capital of his Kingdom. In 1448 King Borommatrailokkanat built a new palace to the north and converted the old palace grounds to be a holy site. His son, King Ramathibodi II added two Stupa, which in Thailand are known as Chedis, built in 1492. In 1742, under King Borommakot, the temple was again renovated. Unfortunately, the city of Ayutthaya, including the temple compounds, were completely destroyed in the Burmese invasion in 1767, with the exception of the three Chedis that can be seen today.