Wat Chai Watthanaram in Ayutthaya วัดไชยวัฒนาราม อยุธยา is one of the ancient temple located in Ayutthaya. It is the remains of what used to be a glorious temple…. destroyed from the Burmese attack.
Above: Buddha image in the ordination hall.
The principal Buddha image in the Ordination Hall is seated in the meditation posture. Made of stucco with a sandstone core, it is lacquered and gilded. The head of the statue is a copy recently made using a photograph of the original. This was stolen a long time ago.
It is sad to see the Buddha images being burnt and the heads being mutilated. This was done years ago by the Burmese. It seemed that when they burn the Buddha images, some of them started hitting and destroying the heads. But as they watched that some of the images were not damaged even though set on fire, some got afraid and ran away.
It was said that through that act of destroying the images and this historical place, the subsequent generation had to suffer. Now, many Burmese come to work in Thailand illegally due to poverty in Burma.
Address of Wat Chai Watthanaram in Ayutthaya วัดไชยวัฒนาราม อยุธยา:
Tambon Ban Pom,
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya,
Phranakhon Sri Ayutthaya 13000 Thailand
ตำบล บ้านป้อม
อำเภอ เมืองพระนครศรีอยุธยา
พระนครศรีอยุธยา 13000, Thailand
Opening hours: 7.30am to 6pm
Entrance fee: 50 baht