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).

Ayutthaya: Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Ayutthaya was once the capital of the Kingdom of Siam. Established in the 1300’s, it was eventually sacked and burned by the Burmese in the 1700’s, after which time the kingdom moved the capital to Thonburi, which grew to become the Bangkok we know and love today.

Considering Ayutthaya is such a significant place, it remains a relatively small city consisting of many, many ruins. There are no large tower blocks or shopping malls and it really benefits from that. The city has a small town feel and the people are really friendly. Although it’s a major tourist destination, it didn’t feel crowded, maintaining that small city feel.

You’d be forgiven for thinking each temple site was the same as the next, but each one has a different character, so I’ll be covering each place in separate posts.

The first place we visited was Wat Phra Si Sanphet, and we found it by accident. We were actually looking for a market and were directed to Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit. There’s a good amount of free parking here, but the Viharn wasn’t up to much, and unless you wanted wooden souvenirs or elephant pants, neither was the market.

It’s a short walk from the Viharn to Si Sanphet, once you find the entrance. The entry price is 10 baht for Thai and 50 baht for farang. You can also get a multi-site ticket for 220 baht (farang price), which gives you access to all the sites, but they didn’t tell us about that until after we visited our fourth site!

Broken Buddha in front of a Stupa, Ayutthaya Thailand

The Main Stupa at Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Like all the sites, you’ll find tourists wearing traditional Thai costume and taking lots of photos. Not as well organised as Wat Arun, there were no photographers jostling for position here and people were taking their own photos. That said, not many people were ‘dressed up’ at Si Sanphet.

Si Sanphet’s main focus are the Stupas, which are really a small part of what was once a massive temple back in the day. My favourite part though was the broken buddha statue. Made up of thin bricks, it was amazing to see the many curves and shapes they were able to form. A real work of craftsmanship.

Although not as grand as some of the other ruins, Wat Phra Si Sanphet is probably the most significant of them since it was located in the Grand Palace and served as the royal chapel, the palace eventually becoming a monastery and the largest temple in the city. Now it gets overshadowed by the other, ‘more spectacular’ sites.

All in all, it was a nice, quiet – accidental – introduction to the many temples of Ayutthaya.

Wat Arun, Bangkok

If you are in Bangkok and wanting to visit one of the many temples in the city, then Wat Arun is probably somewhere near the top of the list, if not at the top. It’s a popular place. Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan to give it it’s full title, is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, and is the largest Wat I’ve visited.

Kay & I have tried to get here several times. Last time we got close, having survived the bus of death (at one point the driver faced off with police and we though he might just run them over!) This time we tried the MRT Blue line to Itsaraphap station and walked about 10 or 12 minutes to get there. Nice and easy (and no life threatening bus rides). You’ll soon know when you are there. The Wat is a large site, walled off, and on the opposite side of the soi are shop after shop after shop selling traditional Thai costume with photo packages.

Entry is free for Thai nationals and 200 baht for foreigners and you get a free bottle of water, which given the heat, was gratefully received. There are plenty of shops & cafes within the Wat, so you can easily find ice cream, drinks and elephant pants if you need to cool down. (In fact we found elephant pants for 100 baht – bargain!) People may joke about the old elephant pants, but honestly, on hot days, you will be very glad to be wearing them.

The main attraction of Wat Arun is the large Prang. It’s a stunning sight, but be prepared, most of the people who bought photo packages will be around here and in some places it’s hard to move, so patience is required.

A Viharn in front of the Prang of Wat Arun

Porcelain embedded into the render of the Prang

The main Prang is surrounded by four smaller Prang and each is covered in a white render embedded with pieces of porcelain, which give it a little colour and reflect the light. There are the usual Thai motifs of Garuda, Naga and Yaksha all over the Prang, and plenty of Pixiu standing guard throughout the Wat.

As amazing as the Prang was, it was good to get away as there were just too many people. It felt less like a temple and more like a tourist trap. Away from the Prang and things get a little calmer. There are several Viharn on the site and in one we were able to get a blessing from a monk. The blessing is simple, you kneel, hold out your hand while he ties a string around your wrist and then sprinkles water on your head and shoulders. One highlight for me was that I was already wearing an orange bracelet from a temple in Loei and when he saw that, he gave me a thumbs up and extra oomph in his blessing (something along the lines of be safe, fearless, merciful, supported, meritorious & rich in wealth).

There is also an ordination hall in which you can pray and this was nice and quiet. The walls and ceilings were painted in a vast mural. I tried to photograph it, but they didn’t come close to capturing the detail or the scope.

Wat Arun originates from the Ayutthaya period, and you can certainly see the similarities with some of the sites there. It’s nice to see the Wat be so well maintained. Having been to Ayutthaya, I wondered what those sites would have looked like had they not been destroyed, and Wat Arun gives us a glimpse of what they might have looked like back in the day.

I can see why it is such a draw for tourists, the whole Wat is massive and the Prang is spectacular, but for me it was just too crowded, and of all the Wats I’ve been to, my favourites have been the quieter ones, but after trying to get here for so long, it was good to finally tick this one off the list.