WAT MAHA THAT

February 2015 - Ayutthaya Thailand

For the recap version of our day click here.
Click here for another temple we visited earlier in the day. And another from the same day.

I'll admit, we were getting pretty "templed" out by this time but still took a lot of photos of these astounding works of art.

The average entrance fee to most of these temples is around 1 US dollar.

The average temperature on our visit was 91F.

Wat Mahathat (Temple of the Great Relics) is located almost right in the center of Ayutthaya. Apart from being the symbolic center where the Buddha's relics were enshrined, Wat Mahathat was also the residence of the Supreme Patriarch or leader of the Thai Buddhist monks. The temple is believed to be built during the 14th century A.D. (the early Ayutthaya period).

Click on the photo below for a larger view.

The main prang collapsed during the Ayutthaya period, but was restored. It collapsed again in 1911, so only the foundation of the main prang remains at present.

A prang is a tall tower-like spire, usually richly carved. They were a common shrine element of Hindu and Buddhist architecture in the Khmer Empire. They were later adapted by Buddhist builders in Thailand, especially during the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350–1767) and Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782-1932). In Thailand it appears only with the most important Buddhist temples.

The most striking feature of Wat Maha That is the abundance of broken Buddhas on display. The Burmese were ruthless in their destructive efforts.

Many sacred figures were smashed into numerous small pieces. In the aftermath of the invasion the monks attempted to repair the damage.

There is one iconic image that you see crop up time and again on postcards and in guide-books is a photograph of a Buddha head entwined within the roots of a tree. This is the main reason people visit this site.

Definitely time to head back to the hotel and put our feet up with a nice cold beer!

Wat Yai Chai Mongkol Thailand

February 2015 - Ayutthaya Thailand

For the recap version of our day click here.

 I posted another temple last week - Wat Pho

Wat Phra Chao Phya-thai, populary known as Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, is situated to the southeast of the city. The large chedi can be seen from a great distance.



Experts believe the stupa was built even before Ayutthaya was founded. King Naresuan the Great had it restored and built some additions to commemorate his great victory in battle over the Burmese. He named it "Chai Mongkol" or "Auspicious Victory".

The main Chedi of the temple is 62.10 meters in height and was built with 28,144 tons of brick. Even though the location was prepared to bear a lot of weight, the pressure from the Chedi was enormous and it pushed away underground water until the ground underneath the Chedi became hollow. As time passed, the Chedi started to sink.

The Ubosatha Hall is the main entrance to the monastery. When Thai Buddhists visit the temple they will normally make an offering. This act is known as wai phra; wai being the traditional greeting with palms pressed together and raised towards the face and phra being the word for a Buddha image, monk or priest.

The usual offering made consists of a candle, some flowers (often a lotus), a small square of gold leaf and three incense sticks. The three incense sticks represent the Buddha, his teachings and the monastic order.

  Sitting in the position of respect with feet tucked behind in order that they face away from the Buddha.  After  the person has offered some prayers they will often make another recital in their mind which could be a wish for good health or even good luck for selecting the lottery numbers! The incense sticks are then planted into a container of sand and the small square of gold leaf is pressed onto the Buddha image.

Visitors will apply gold leaf to the Reclining Buddha's hands and feet.

The chedi is 60 metres tall and allows visitors to climb the weathered steps and take in a magnificent view from above.

John did the climb and captured some great photos along with a selfie or two.

The view is panoramic with rows upon rows of saffron draped Buddhas. do not despair, there will be many close up photos of these!

He spotted Tom and me strolling among those Buddhas.

There's a ladder on the back!

While John had his head in the clouds, Tom and I wandered the peaceful gardens.

After one of my favourites above, I spotted this nun doing some cooking. In Thailand women cannot be monks but nuns. They wear white robes and their head is also shaved. Being a female novice is less valued than being a monk. They are often treated as temple maids doing the cooking and cleaning for monks.

All photography on Junk Boat Travels are under copyright unless stated otherwise.