Ayutthaya Province
Wat Chaiwatthanaram
(วัดไชยวัฒนาราม)
Wat Chaiwatthanaram, one of the most imposing ancient Buddhist monasteries, was esablished by the command of King Prasatthong in 1630 A.D. It is believed that this wat is located on the site of his former home. The reason for building this monastery was to make merit for his mother. The historian Prince Damrong Rachanuphap noted that its architecture was similar to that of Angkor Wat and was 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 built on the same base and surrounded by eight lesser prangs and a gallery.
Along the gallery were placed 120 gilt 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.
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