Wat Mahathat - Mahathat Temple

Ayutthaya Thailand

15.08.2011 - 15.08.2011 34 °C

Wat Mahathat

As with most of the temples in Thailand that I have visited there are different times of the day which are best to visit. Beating the crowds is always number one priority, but also catching the temples in the best light is also very important. Wat Mahathat is no different and I think everyone will agree it looks majestically magical just as the sun is setting.

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Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand for 417 years, and in 1981 was awarded the prestigious prize of becoming a World Heritage Site. The building of Wat Mahathat is believed to have been started in 1374 A.D, but wasn’t finished until about 1390 A.D. Unfortunately Wat Mahathat was set on fire in 1767 A.D when Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese, and has since been in ruin.

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In my research I have found a few varieties on how the stone Buddha head became implanted within this tree. But I feel probably the most realistic is that during the sacking of Ayutthaya in 1767 A.D many Buddhist statues were destroyed by the invading Burmese Army, and this stone head somehow became entangled within the tree as it grew. The temple was deserted for more than 100 years, so ample time for extensive growth to have resulted around this famous head.

Ayutthaya