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Pra
Mongkhonbophit is an image of Buddha made of brick covered |
| with bronze and gilt. Its whole body
is black as it was covered with black |
| lacquer.
It is assumed that it was built in the reign of Somdej Phra |
| Chairacha
in 1538 as a symbol Buddha image of Chichiang Temple and |
| was enshrined outdoor. Later on, King Song-Tham had the Buddha
image |
| moved to the south-west of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet and kept it in
the |
| pavilion, the
Mondopa. In the reign of Phra Chao Sua, the Mondopa was |
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burnt
down by a fire due to a thunderbolt, causing the lotus bud and the |
| right arm of the Buddha image to break
down. Phra Chao Sua then had |
| the broken parts of the image restored.
During the fall of Ayutthaya in |
| 1767, the Wihara Mongkhon Bophit was
badly burnt and the right arm |
| and the hair knot of the Buddha image
were broken. In the reign of |
| King Rama V, Phraya Boranrachathanin who was the governor of |
| Ayutthaya during that time restored the image with stucco and
gilt. In |
| 1992, the Wihara Mongkhon Bophit was built to cover the image.
This |
| image,in the attitude of subduing mara, is one of the biggest
Buddha |
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images in Thailand. |
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The Royal Palace or
the Ancient Royal Palace |
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| The
Ancient Royal Palace in Ayutthaya can now be seen only the |
| old ruins of the building. It was assumed that it was constructed
by |
| King U - Thong, who founded Ayutthaya when he was at Wiang Lek. |
| After the capital had been completed
in 1353, he moved to the new |
| Royal Palace at Nong Sa No which is now Wat Phra Si Sanphet. At
that |
| time all pavilions
were made from wood. Later on in 1448, King Borom |
| Trai Lokanat dedicated the Royal Palace
for Wat Phra Si Sanphet and |
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had the new Royal Palace constructed
at the north of the Lopburi River. |
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Several pavilions built inside the Royal Palace which are now
known as |
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"The Ancient Royal Palace",
situated next to the northern section of the |
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city wall with a road passing through Chankasem Palace 2 kilometers
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away had been resided by every monarch during the Ayutthaya period. |
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It is open daily from 8.30- 16.30 hrs. Call 035-242284 for further
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information. |
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There are
many important pavilions inside the Royal Palace |
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as follows:- |
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 Wihara
Somdet Pavilion is situated in the south of the Palace.The
top |
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of this pavilion is decorated in a unique style of architecture
called Prang. |
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It has longer space in front and rear gabled rooms, and shorter
space in |
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the side gabled rooms, surrounded by a glass wall on both sides.
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According to the chronicle, it was constructed
by the command of King |
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Prasat Thong in 1643 to replace the Mangkalaphisek
pavilion which was |
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burnt down by lightning fire. It was
locally called ?Prasart Thong? because |
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it was the first pavilion affixed with gold leaf which was used
for various |
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royal ceremonies. |
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Sanphet-Prasat Pavilion This is the
middle pavilion constructed in the |
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same design as Wihan Somdet Pavilion. It had long porticoes at
the front |
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and was used as a reception pavilion for state visitors. On both
sides of |
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this pavilion were the stables of the white elephants. |
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Suriyat
Amarindra Pavilion was the building made from red
stones |
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with a three-gabled roof, located on the bank of the Chao Phraya
River. |
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It was formerly called ?Sariyamarin Pavilion? but its name was
later |
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changed to ?Sanphet Prasat Hall?. Its floor was lifted higher
than |
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Chakrwat-Phaichayon Pavilion King
Prasat Thong built this pavilion in |
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1632 and named it "Phra Thinang Siriyasothorn Mahaphimanbanyong" |
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which sounds similar to the Anglor Wat. This name was afterwards |
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changed to"Phra Thinang Chakrwat Phaichayon." It was
a pavilion with |
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a three-gabled roof, located on the inside wall of the Palace,
and was |
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used by the kings to view the processions and the military maneuvers, |
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similar to the Putthai Sawan Pavilion at the Royal Palace in Bangkok. |
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Tri
Muk Pavilion is located behind the Sanphet Pasart
Pavilion. Its |
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year of construction is unknown but it is believed that it had
been using |
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as the garden house inside the royal inner court. |
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Banyong
Rattanat Pavilion (Tai Sra Pavilion) was a building
with a |
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four gabled roof, located on an island in a pond. It was built
in 1688 by |
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the command of King Phetha Racha who resided here throughout
his |
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reign. There was a royal seat where the king sat to watch his
fish in the |
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pond. |
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Song
Puen Pavilion Located beside the west pond, next to |
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Banyong Rattana Pavilion. It was used as a place for performing
a song |
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rehearsal and a military maneuver. During the reign of Phra Phetha
Racha, |
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it was used as the hall of audience. |
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Wat Chaiwattanaram |
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This beautiful
temple is located on the same side of Wat Putthaisawan |
| but to the west of Ko Muang. This monastery was built by the royal |
| command of King Prasat Thong as a memorial to his mother's land
and |
| to celebrate for his coronation in 1630. The architectural style
is |
| reminiscent of Khmer temples as the main pagoda, Pra Prang
Sri |
| Mahathatu,was surrounded by small ones in 8 directions. It is
assumed |
| that the relics of Lord Buddha or other sacred objects used to
be kept in |
| in the main Prang. The ordination hall is located in the east
of the Prang. |
| There are ruins of the principal Buddha image made of sandstone
in |
| attitude of subduing mara and in the north ruins of the bases
of the |
| three pagodas located the bone relics of Chao Fa Thammathibet
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| (Chaofa Kung Rattanakawi of Ayutthaya) Chao Sangwan and Chao Fa
Nim, |
| the king's first concubine. It is now a deserted temple, but the
main |
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Prangs and Pagodas remain in good conditions. |
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Wat Na Phramen |
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Phra Ong-In had this monastery
constructed in the reign of King |
| Ramathibodi II in 1503. Its original name was Wat Merurachikaram, |
| located on the bank of a lotus pond opposite the Royal Palace.
In the |
| reign of King Mahachakapadi, he built the pavilion between Wat
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| Naphramen and Wat Hasadawas to use as a truce commitment with
King |
| Burengnong. The architecture of this monastery is of early Ayutthaya |
| period, of which ordination hall does not have windows but narrow |
| rectangular holes. The principal bronze Buddha image was beautifully |
| decorated in regal attire in attitude of subduing mara, considered
the |
| most beautiful.Its gabled roof is gilt teak carved into a picture
of |
| ÙNarayana God riding on a Garuda (mythical bird) catching Naga
head, |
| surrounded by 26 goddesses. There were some Thai poem called |
| kaapyannii and kaapsuparb inscripted on the monk seats. Wat Na |
| Phramen was restored during the reign of King Rama III of Rattanakosin |
| period. At the small Wihara or Wihara Kiean, there were carved
door |
| panels of the craftmen of the period of King Rama III. There were
mural |
| paintings on the wall but currently many of them are blurred.
There is |
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also a sitting Buddha image in Tawarawadi period enshrined inside
the |
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temple. |
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Wat Phanan Cherng |
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Located on the Chaophraya riverbank in
the south of the city.There is |
| no definite evidence regarding the founder or when the temple
was |
| founded,but it was believed that it was built before Ayutthaya
was |
| established.The large Buddha image in the Wihara called |
| "Phra Chao Phanan Cherng" was built in 1324. In 1854,
King Rama IV |
| restored the image and re-named it "Phra Puttha Trairatana
Nayok" |
| The image is a seated Buddha in the attitude of subduing mara
and is |
| considered the oldest and largest seated Buddha image in Thailand
with |
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20.17 meters wide and 19 meters high from knees to head. |
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