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Wat Chaiwatthanaram, one of the most imposing ancient
Buddhist monasteries, was established by the command of
King Prasatthong in 1630 A.D.. It is believed that the wat
is located on the site of his former home. The reason for
his building this monastery was to make merit for his
mother. Prince Damrong Rachanuphap noted that its
architecture was similar to that of Angkor Wat and infered
that the wat might have been built to commemorate the
king's victory over Cambodia.
This wat consists of a main prang (Khmer type tower) and
four lesser prangs, all created on the same base and
surrounded by eight lesser prangs and a gallery.
Along the gallery were placed 120 glit lacquered Buddha
images in the attitude of maravijaya, or Victory over
Mara, the Evil one. Within the eight lesser prangs there
are twelve crowned Buddha images. The ceiling of each
alcove under each prang was made of wood and was decorated
with gilded star-like patterns on black lacquer. Walls
inside have mural paintings while the outside walls were
adorned with twelve stucco relief depicting stories from
the life of the Buddha. The ubosatha (ordination hall) was
located in an area outside the gallery and to the east of
the main prang. On the left and right side of the ubosatha
are two redented chedis. Four additional small chedis and
a small prang were built in a later period. With the
exception of the gallery, all the buildings in the
courtyard of the monastery were encircled by there walls.
The main prang is in the early Ayutthaya style. The four
lesser prangs, however, are in the style of King
Prasattong. They have seven levels. The form of eight
lesser prangs might have been taken from the shape of a
royal cremation tower in the Ayutthaya period. Thai type
of tower represents Mt. Meru, the center of universe.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram was a royal monastery. It is a wat
where the king and his descendants would perform religious
rites; thus removation would have been continuous. It was
also used as a cremation site for the princes, princesses,
and the royal family. When prince Thammathibet died, for
instance, King Borommakot decreed that an area in the wat
be used as the site for his cremation.
In 1767 A.D., Ayutthaya, the capital city of Thailand, was
besieged by Burmese invaders and the wat became an army
camp. After the fall of Ayutthaya, Wat Chaiwatthanaram was
abandoned, Looting, the decapitation of Buddha images, and
the selling of brick from the wat became common practices.
Finally in 1987 A.D. the conservation of the wat was begun
by the Thai Fine Arts Department and was Completed in 1992
A.D.
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