Sukhothai - Wat Mahathat

Wat Mahathat Surrounded by a wall and a moat, Wat Mahathat is the largest temple in Sukhothai. It contains 200 chedis, 10 viharns and a plethora of other structures. It was also the royal temple of the kings of Sukhothai.

Lotus-bud Chedi and Viharn The centrepiece of the temple is the chedi, which has a large lotus-bud chedi at its core. It was built by King Lothai in the 1340s to house hair and neckbone relics of the Buddha brought back from Ceylon. The central tower is surrounded by four smaller chedis, alternated by four Khmer prangs. The entire ensemble is raised up on a base with a stucco frieze of monks walking round the chedi with their hands clasped in prayer. On the pediments of the east prang can be seen two scenes from the life of the Buddha; his birth and his death. The central chedi represented the mythical Mount Meru and the whole structure was in effect a magic diagram. The viharn (foreground) in front of the chedi once housed the a bronze Buddha called Phra Sri Sakyamuni. It was cast and installed here by King Lithai of Sukhothai in 1362. Presently, it is the preceding Buddha image in the Viharn Luang of Wat Suthat in Bangkok.

Viharn In front of the lotus-bud chedi is another viharn, built in the Ayutthaya Period. It contains a 8m high stucco Buddha image. A sculpture called Khom Dam Din (a Khmer who came by way of walking underground) was once found in front of this Buddha image. The sculpture is now housed in the Mae Ya Shrine in New Sukhothai.

Standing Buddhas Two standing Buddha images housed in mondops, stand to the sides of the lotus-bud chedi. Both of them are in the "calling for rain" attitude.

Bot This bot is situated to the right of the lotus-bud chedi. It is surrounded by eight bai sema or boundary stones that mark out the sacred area of the bot. The bot contains a seated Buddha image in the bhumisparsa mudra.

Smaller Chedis The rest of the compound is dotted with chedis, most of them worn down to the base. Some are still in good condition. These chedis might have originally contained ashes of Sukhothai royalty.