Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, Ayutthaya

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Temple is one of well-known Traveler Attraction in Ayutthaya. Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon is situated near the major Ayutthaya ruins on the Eastern side of the town very close to the walls of Ayutthaya and the Ayutthaya railway station.

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon was constructed in the reign of the King U-Thong (Ayutthaya’s first monarch) in 1357, for the returned monks of a predominantly strict order trained in Ceylon. The temple is also known as Chao Phraya Thai Temple. The key attractions in this place of worship are the huge Pagoda and big image of Reclining Buddha. The pagoda is in bell-shaped, about 60 meters high, built on a mound of raised soil with steps going up to the Buddhist image positioned halfway to the top. The main Pagoda is enclosed by 4 minor pagodas. In front of the pagoda are the stumps of columns which once hold up the top of the temple. The pagodas in the temple was built in 1592 to celebrate King Naresuan the great’s single-handed defeat of the Burmese Crown Prince after an elephant back combat in the same year.

Inside this tourist attraction, the big image of Reclining Buddha was also built in the era of King Naresuan the Great as the meditation place for the king. Comparable to all the temples and palaces in Ayutthaya, the temple was raided by the Burmese when Ayutthaya was taken in 1767. Nowadays, the temple is still functioning. There is a museum about King Nareusan of Autthaya located inside the temple as well.

Open Hours : Daily 08.00 - 18.00
Admission Fee : 20 Baht

Nearby Attractions : Wat Phananchoeng

Location : Ayutthaya
Type : historical, Sightseeing

Photo of Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya :