Thailand Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit

3 images 1 contributors Shoot with care

Sue Wolfe

Shoot with care
There are many local people who pay homage here every day. Respectful attire is required. The dress code says knees and shoulders must be covered.

About this spot
The Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit houses one of the few statues to survive the sacking of Ayutthaya by the Burmese armies in 1767. The Buddha measures 12.5 meters high.

The Buddha was moved and a mondop built over it sometime in the early 1600s. In 1706, the mondop caught fire from a lightning strike. As the roof collapsed the head of the Buddha was severed. The King ordered a new preaching hall be built and the “holy head” be lifted up and reconnected. The new building was one of the few that survived the Burmese invasion with the Buddha suffering only a broken right arm and damaged head.

In 1956, the Burmese Prime Minister donated 200,000B to restore the building, an act of atonement for his country’s sacking of Ayutthaya 200 years earlier.

In March 1990, the temple’s Supreme Patriarch announced that worshippers could make merit by covering the image with gold leaf. Following a donation by Queen Sirikit, the temple announced its intention to complete the gilding by the Queen’s 60th birthday in 1992.

The temple is part of the Ayutthaya Historical Park close to the Grand Palace.

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