Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya
Wat Chaiwatthanaram in Ayutthaya is one of the most photographed temple ruins in Thailand, prized for its intact Khmer-style layout and its position on the riverbank away from the main historical island. Wat Chaiwatthanaram stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, outside the island proper.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya
Wat Chaiwatthanaram stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, outside the island proper. It was built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong and laid out on a Khmer model: a tall central prang on a raised terrace, surrounded by four smaller prangs and a ring of eight chedi-shaped chapels.
Because the plan survives largely intact, it gives a clearer sense of how an Ayutthaya royal temple was meant to look than the more fragmentary sites on the island. The riverside setting makes it the usual choice for sunset, and it is often the busiest the site gets.
It sits across the river from the main cluster, so it is reached by road or by boat rather than on foot from the other temples.
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