Central Thailand / Ayutthaya / Wat Yai Chai Mongkol

Photo: Chedi at Wat Yai Chai Mongkol

The Wat, also called "Chao Phaya Thai Temple", is just a short distance outside the walled Ayutthaya. It was built for meditation by King Ramatibodi, the first ruler of Ayutthaya, in 1357. In 1592, after King Naresuan defeated the Burmese Crown Prince in a single-handed duel on elephants, he constructed the temple's large Chedi to match the high pagoda Phu Khao Thong which had purportedly been built by the Burmese. The ruins of the massive pagoda are visible from a far distance.