Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Ayutthaya
A working monastery outside the old city, with a great chedi and a courtyard of saffron-robed Buddhas.
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon lies south-east of the island and differs from the other major sites in one important way: it is still an active monastery, not only a ruin. Monks live here and the temple is in daily use.
Its great chedi is traditionally associated with King Naresuan and his victory in single combat on elephant-back in 1592, and can be climbed for a view over the surrounding country. Rows of seated Buddha images, each draped in saffron cloth, line the cloister around it, and a large reclining Buddha lies in the grounds.
Because it is a living temple, dress and behaviour matter more here than at the uninhabited ruins: covered shoulders and knees, and quiet during services.
- Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya — The riverside temple of 1630, built to a Khmer plan and the most complete ruin in Ayutthaya.
- Wat Lokayasutharam, Ayutthaya — The great reclining Buddha of Ayutthaya, lying in the open on the west side of the island.
- Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya — The temple of the Buddha head held in the roots of a banyan tree - the single most photographed image in Ayutthaya.
- Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya — The royal temple of the Ayutthaya palace, and its three restored chedis.
- Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya — A 1424 temple with a climbable prang and a crypt holding some of Thailand's oldest surviving murals.
- Ayutthaya Historical Park — The UNESCO World Heritage remains of Thailand's second capital, on an island between three rivers.
