Ayutthaya: Wat Chaiwatthanaram

And so we come to the last of the four sites we visited in Ayutthaya, and I’ve saved the best for last. Wat Chaiwatthanaram is the biggest of the four, at least it seemed to be, and also the busiest.

Tourists at Wat Chaiwatthanaram — Tourists in traditional Thai costume at Wat Chaiwatthanaram

Wat Chaiwatthanaram was built in the 1600s on the banks of the Chao Phraya River by King Prasat Thong in honour of his mother. Built in the style of Angkor Wat, the site is made up of a central prang with several smaller prangs and pagodas surrounding it. It has undergone several rounds of restoration over the years and restoration work continues today.

We came here by accident. Our intention was to visit Wat Phutthaisawan, one of the few temples to escape the Burmese in 1766, but we ended up at the wrong place, which turned out to be lucky. Be warned, there is an official car park beside the temple, but on the opposite side of the road there are hawkers trying to wave you into their yards so you can rent traditional Thai costume. There are about 8 or 9 shops opposite, all renting out Thai costume, so if that’s your thing, then this is the place to rent them.

This site was the busiest of the sites we visited with plenty of tourists in Thai costumes taking photos, so something to be mindful of. That said, it wasn’t so busy we couldn’t enjoy the place. This was also my favourite of the four sites we visited and honestly, it felt like stepping into Star Wars. I half expected x-wing fighters to take off.

There was a very different atmosphere here, almost other-worldly. The place felt grander and more expansive and more significant some-how, and strangely enough, this felt the most peaceful and enjoyable of the four sites we visited. It was a good end to our two days here.

Ayutthaya is a great place to visit. Culturally significant and lots of friendly people. If you’re debating whether to add it to your Thailand itinerary, wonder no more and do it. I think you’ll find it well worth it.

Ayutthaya: Wat Ratchaburana

Wat Ratchaburana sits right next door to Wat Mahathat, so it’s easy to visit both sites on the same day. Wat Ratchaburana is known for the main prang, which is mostly intact (I think it’s the most intact of any of Ayutthaya’s heritage sites). You can climb up the prang to get a fantastic view of the entire site, and it’s worth doing.

The entrance is through the remains of the viharn and the prang is framed nicely as you enter. Ratchaburana was quite busy, so patience is needed when trying to get a photo of the prang through the entrance. (It’s the money shot after all, and everyone was taking them, so we felt obliged to do the same).

Main prang framed by the entrance to Wat Ratchaburana

Wat Ratchaburana was built in the 1400’s on the site where the king’s older brothers were cremated. Apparently they fought for the kingdom, wounding each other so severely they both died, leaving the kingdom to the younger brother. (Surely a story worthy of a movie). Another legend tells of a crow that impaled itself on the finial of the prang, which was taken as a bad omen of Ayutthaya’s fate. Not long after, Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese and Wat Ratchaburana was sacked and burned in a fire that spread over into Wat Mahathat and a few other sites.

The central prang is surrounded by four stupas and the whole site feels more compact compared to others, but there is plenty to explore. The prang is the star attraction though and you can climb up to the top room. Climbing the prang is a precarious experience, especially if you don’t like heights, but it does give a great view of the site, and you can see the details of the preserved render as you climb. At the top you can go inside, but the stairs down into the crypt are blocked off, and the room itself is governed by bats. A lot of bats.

Small piles of stones in front of the main prang at Wat Ratchburana

Details on the render of Wat Ratchaburana's prang

Although everything revolves around the prang, it seemed like there was more to see here than at Wat Mahathat and I enjoyed this more than the two sites we visited before. With both Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat being next to each other, it’s worth visiting them both, and when you’re finished, there’s a great Ice cream parlour called Scoops Me Up on the soi opposite Wat Mahathat (Bang Lan Road). The ice cream is really good and a nice reward after a day of exploring.

Ayutthaya: Wat Mahathat

The Buddha's head, Wat mahathat, Ayutthaya

It would be easy to say all the ruins of Ayutthaya look the same, but in reality, they differ in size, popularity and character.

Wat Mahathat is one of the busier places that attracts a lot of tourists and is best known for the Buddha’s head in the tree. The Head was lopped off when Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese, and the roots of a bodhi tree grew around it. It’s one of the ‘must see‘ things when visiting Ayutthaya.

There is a small car park right next to the Wat, but get there early otherwise you won’t get a space. There is a much larger car park a little further down before the site and only a 5 minute walk. There are tuk tuks parked up at the small car park. (We had car trouble the first day we were there and one of the tuk tuk drivers took us all around looking for a mechanic, so they are a very different breed to the tuk tuk drivers in Bangkok).

As per other sites, entry is by ticket and the prices are the same as other sites – 10 Baht for Thai and 50 Baht for foreigners. One of the nice things about Wat Mahathat was that there are plenty of trees around, so there was some shade. It was nice to get out from under the sun, if just for a moment.

The Buddha head attracted most of the attention, with people jostling for space to take a photo. There is a small deck where people can sit and take photos as well. Some consider the fact the tree roots didn’t obscure the Buddha’s face a miracle, which maybe why it get’s so much attention.

The Burmese invaders did a lot of damage, decapitating most of the depictions of Buddha, but not all. A couple still survive intact, sitting serenely among the ruins, and it was nice to see a complete Buddha survive the centuries.

Although quite busy, this was still quiet enough to enjoy the space and there was more to see here than at Wat Phra Si Sanphet, but it wasn’t my favourite of the ruins. (I’ll save for last).