Wat Chaiwatthanaram Religious Site

Address: Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya Historical Park, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, Thailand

Website: https://www.ayutthaya.go.th/

Hours: Daily 8:30am-5:00pm (hours may vary by site)

Admission: Entry fee to Ayutthaya Historical Park included in general site ticket - approx. 50-100 THB for Thais; higher for foreigners depending on site (fees vary)

Wat Chaiwatthanaram is a 17th-century Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand, constructed in 1630 under King Prasat Thong as a royal temple. It is one of the most-visited temple ruins in the Ayutthaya Historical Park.

The complex’s layout includes a large raised platform with a central prang and a series of smaller chedi or stupas arranged around it; the monumentality and symmetry of the layout are notable features. Visitors commonly walk the raised galleries and view the sculpted and carved brickwork that survives.

Built as a royal foundation in 1630, the temple later fell into ruin after the Burmese sack of Ayutthaya in the late 18th century. Conservation and restoration work in the 20th century stabilised the ruins and opened the site for public visitation.

The temple stands on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River within the Ayutthaya Historical Park, north of Bangkok, and is accessible by road and river boat services that run from the city of Ayutthaya.

• Location within Ayutthaya: The temple stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya and is part of the wider historic park visited on day trips from Bangkok.

What to See#

• Central prang: A central Khmer-style prang that rises from the middle of the temple platform and served as the focal point for ritual activity.
• Platform, galleries and surrounding chedi: A raised rectangular platform surrounded by a cloister and galleries with eight smaller chedi arranged around the base, forming a cruciform layout typical of 17th-century Ayutthaya temple architecture.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram is on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, about 6-7 km from Ayutthaya city center. Visitors can take a tuk-tuk, bicycle or a short taxi from Ayutthaya Railway Station; river ferries and boat tours also stop nearby. Personal bicycles are a popular way to travel between sites in the historical park.

• Visit in the late afternoon when the sandstone prangs glow in the softer light - mid-morning is often hottest and more crowded.
• Combine Wat Chaiwatthanaram with a short bicycle circuit across the river to the reclining Buddha at Wat Phutthaisawan for a fuller picture of Ayutthaya's riverside temples.
• Hire a licensed guide at the entrance to learn the Khmer-influenced architectural references and the story of the 1767 Burmese sack of Ayutthaya.