Wat Chaiwatthanaram

THAILAND, Ayutthaya

The temple is situated southwest of the ancient city of Ayutthaya. It was constructed by King Prasat Thong (reigned 1630–1656) in 1630 on the site where his mother used to live. The temple was severely damaged when Ayutthaya was conquered in 1767. Along with the entire Historic City of Ayutthaya, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
The temple faces east and consists of an ordination hall, a number of Khmer-style stupas and Thai-style stupas, and a gallery. The main stupa, located at the center of the site, is Khmer in style. It surrounded by four smaller Thai-style stupas at its corners. These five stupas are surrounded by eight large Thai-style stupas. The stupas are erected on the same base platform and are connected by a circumambulatory gallery. The main stupa has a very high base, which has steep stairs on its four sides that lead directly to the stupa body. The stupa is multi-cornered and has a tapered curved shape. The surrounding stupas have slender bodies that taper up to their spires. They demonstrate features that are distinctive of both the Khmer-style stupas and the stupas of the late Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350–1767). The exterior walls of these stupas are decorated with stucco images depicting scenes from the Life of the Buddha. An image of the Buddha is enshrined within each stupa. A series of partially damaged Buddha statues are found inside the gallery.
The ordination hall is situated directly in front of the main stupa. Only its foundation base and traces of the pedestal for the main Buddha statue are extant. On each side of the ordination hall, there are two large and delicately constructed stupas.