Wat Lokayasutharam

The great reclining Buddha of Wat Lokayasutharam lies in the open on the western side of the old city, a short ride from Wat Phra Si Sanphet. Built of brick and covered in plaster, the figure is around 40 metres long and 8 metres high. Its head, at the northern end, rests on a lotus flower instead of a pillow. Worshippers often wrap it in a long saffron cloth and leave flowers and incense at its base.

The Buddha once lay inside a hall, and the stumps of the octagonal brick pillars that carried its roof still stand in rows beside it. Behind are the remains of the rest of the monastery, including a damaged main prang and the foundations of the ordination hall. Little is recorded about when the temple was built, and it was almost certainly abandoned after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. The image was restored in the 1950s and again in 1989.

The site is flat and open, so 20 minutes is enough. Come early or late in the day, when the plaster takes on warmer colours and the crowds are thinner.