Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat Temple

Address: Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat (Wat Yai), Mueang Phitsanulok District, Phitsanulok Province, Thailand

Overview - Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat is the principal temple of Phitsanulok province in central Thailand, best known for housing the Phra Buddha Chinnarat image dating to the 14th century.

What visitors find - The site’s focal point is the ubosot, which contains the gilded Phra Buddha Chinnarat image and draws local pilgrimage and national attention. The adjoining chedi and temple grounds are used for major Buddhist ceremonies and provide views across the city area.

History - The temple complex dates to the Sukhothai and early Ayutthaya periods and has served as a major religious center in Phitsanulok for centuries, with repeated restorations to preserve its principal structures and the Chinnarat image.

Location - Situated in central Phitsanulok city near the Nan River, the temple is easily reachable from the city centre and acts as a prominent urban landmark.

• Phra Buddha Chinnarat: Contains the Phra Buddha Chinnarat, a 14th-century image considered one of Thailand’s most revered and influential Buddha icons.

What to See#

• Ubosot (ordination hall): The ubosot (ordination hall) that houses the Phra Buddha Chinnarat, the temple’s principal and most venerated Buddha image.
• Chedi and grounds: The central chedi and surrounding temple grounds that form the main ceremonial complex in Phitsanulok’s city centre.

Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat (Phitsanulok) is located in central Phitsanulok city. It’s a short tuk‑tuk or taxi ride from the Phitsanulok train station and main bus terminal (typically 5-15 minutes); many visitors walk from the city centre (about 10-20 minutes depending on your starting point). Local songthaews and metered taxis serve the temple area.

• Arrive early (first light) to visit the main ubosot and see the famous Phra Phuttha Chinnarat image with fewer pilgrims and better light for photography.
• Make the main shrine housing the image your first stop to avoid later queues, then work around the cloister where murals and smaller shrines are often overlooked.
• Visit on a weekday morning when possible - the temple is an active pilgrimage site and weekends and festival days are noticeably busier.

Commonly known as Wat Yai, this temple draws throngs of Thai worshippers every day who come to make offerings to the Phra Buddha Chinnarat, a striking Buddha image flanked by nagas whose tails rise to shelter the Buddha’s head. Second in importance only to the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok, this revered image is reproduced all across the country, and its likeness is sold in shops throughout Phitsanulok.

The temple and its Buddha image date to the 14th century, and a Khmer-style gilded prang towers over the surrounding buildings and cloisters. A small museum on the site holds further Buddha images and historical pieces. The steady stream of pilgrims also attracts vendors of snacks and Buddhist paraphernalia, giving the temple an unusual mix of the ascetic and the commercial.