It is one of the most historical important monasteries,
opposite Wat Rajaburana. According to the chronicle, it
was starting to be built in the reign of Phra Borom
Rajathirat I (Khun Luang Pha – Ngua) in 1374 and completed
in the reign of King Ramesuan. It was built and maintained
continuously until the city was destroyed in 1767. There
are a lot of ruins showing the beauty and importance of
arts such as the Royal Wihara with narrow rectangular
holes instead of windows.
Wat Mahathat
The construction of Wat
Mahathat was begun during the reign of
King Borommarachathirat 1 in 1374 A.D. but it
was completed
during the reign of King Ramesuan (1388-1396
A.D.). When King
Songtham (1680-1628 A.D.) was in power the main
prang (Khmer-
style tower) collapsed. The restoration work on
the prang was
probably completed in the reign of King
Prasartthong (1630-
1655 A.D.). During the restoration the height
of the prang was
considerably increased.
Wat Mahathat was restored once
again during the reign of King
Borommakot (1732-1758 A.D.) when four porticos
of the main prang
were added. In 1767 A.D. when
Ayutthaya was
sacked the wat
was burnt and has since then been in ruins.
Wat Mahathat was a royal
monastery and has been the seat of
the Sangaraja, the head of the Buddhist monks
of the Kamavasi
sect, since the time of the Mahathera
Thammakanlayan, who was
a contemporary of King Borommarachathirat 1,
who built the wat.
During the reign of King Rama
VI in the Rattanakosin period,
about 1911 A.D., the main prang of the wat
collapsed again and
looters seized the opportunity to dig for
treasure. Only in 1956
A.D. did the Fine Arts Department undertake
excavations around
the central area of the prang where the relics
must have been
kept. The relics of the Buddha were found in
the stupa within a
seven layer reliquary. Other antiquities were
recovered as well,
including Buddha images, votive tables, covered
boxes shaped
like fish and golden plaques in the form of
animals. All these
objects are now at the Chao Sam Phraya National
Museum.
