Wat Chaiwatthanaram

Wat Chaiwatthanaram

Wat Chaiwatthanaram (Thai: วัดไชยวัฒนาราม) is a Buddhist temple inwards the metropolis of Ayutthaya, Thailand, on the westward banking venture of the Chao Phraya River, exterior Ayutthaya island. It is i of Ayutthaya's virtually good known temples in addition to a major tourist attraction.

Statues at Wat Chaiwatthanaram

History

The temple was constructed inwards 1630 past times the manly someone monarch Prasat Thong every bit the outset temple of his reign, every bit a memorial of his mother's resident inwards that area. The temple's advert literally agency the Temple of long reign in addition to glorious era. It was designed inwards Central Khmer fashion which was pop inwards that time.

It has a fundamental 35 meter high prang inwards Central Khmer fashion (Thai: พระปรางด์ประธาน) alongside 4 smaller prangs. The whole structure stands on a rectangular platform. About halfway upward at that spot are hidden entrances, to which steep stairs lead.

 

Wat Chaiwatthanaram, belatedly afternoon

The fundamental platform is surrounded past times viii chedi-shaped chapels (Thai: เมรุทิศ เมรุราย - Meru Thit Meru Rai), which are connected past times a rectangular cross-shaped passage (Phra Rabieng).

 The passage had numerous side entries in addition to was originally roofed in addition to opened upward inwards, merely today alone the foundations of the pillars in addition to the exterior wall nonetheless stand. Along the wall, at that spot were 120 sitting Buddha statues, in all likelihood painted inwards dark in addition to gold.

Walkway Detail

The viii chedi-like chapels are formed inwards a unique way. They had paintings on the interior walls, the exterior ones decorated past times 12 reliefs depicting scenes from the life of Buddha (Jataka), which must live "read" clockwise. Just fragments of the paintings in addition to the reliefs survived.

In each of the rectangular chedis were 2 sitting Buddha statues in addition to inwards each of the 4 middle chedis was i big sitting Buddha statue, also lacquered inwards dark in addition to gold. The ceiling over those statues was of forest alongside golden stars on dark lacquer.

Outside of the passages on the east, to a greater extent than or less the river was the temple's ordination hall (Phra Ubosot). North in addition to due south from the Ubusot stood 2 chedis alongside "12 indented corners" (Thai: เจดีย์อมุมสิบสอง), inwards which the ashes of the king's woman raise were laid.

After the full devastation of the onetime working capital alphabetic quality (Thai: กรุงเก่า - Krung Kao) past times the Burmese inwards 1767, from which Wat Chai Watthanaram was non spared, the temple was deserted. Theft, sale of bricks from the ruins in addition to the beheading of the Buddha statues were common. Only inwards 1987 did the Thai Department of Fine Arts begin restoring the site. In 1992 it was opened to the public.