Wat Ayothaya: Wat Doem and the Mystery of a City Before Ayutthaya
Wat Ayothaya is a small, still-active temple east of Ayutthaya's city island, but its name is bound up with a big historical question: before King Ramathibodi I (King U Thong) founded Ayutthaya in 1351, was there really a city called Ayothaya here on the eastern side? This article covers the legend, the evidence and what you can still see at the temple today.
This place through the eras
The legend in the Northern Chronicle tells of a Wat Doem ('the original temple'), believed to be this one, and many believe this area was the city of Ayothaya that existed before Ayutthaya. But no archaeological evidence yet confirms that such a city, or this temple, existed before 1351.
It was probably still a temple in the fields east of the capital, but no record has been found of any event in Naresuan's reign taking place here. These fields were the route Hanthawaddy armies used to close in on the capital several times, as with King Bayinnaung's royal camp at nearby Wat Maheyong in 1568–1569.
In 1638 the Dutch merchant Jeremias van Vliet listed Wat Doem as one of the capital's four most important temples. Many believe he meant this temple, but it cannot yet be proved. The prang on a twelve-sided base here may have been built around the reign of King Prasat Thong, shortly before King Narai's time.
No record specific to this temple has been found from the fall of the city. It later fell into serious disrepair, until it was restored in the Rattanakosin (Bangkok) period.
Still an active temple with monks. The ubosot was rebuilt on its old foundations; behind it stands a large bell-shaped chedi with a broken top and deep cracks, which scholars estimate was once about 30 m tall.
Wat Doem in legend
No document clearly records when Wat Ayothaya was built or by whom. The legend in the Northern Chronicle tells that a king from before the Ayutthaya period gave his palace to become a temple, called Wat Doem ('the original temple'), and later generations came to believe that Wat Doem was this temple, Wat Ayothaya. That is why local people still call it Wat Doem.
The name Ayothaya comes from Ayodhya, the city of Rama in India. Some scholars believe the area east of the city island was once a city called Ayothaya, and that when King U Thong arrived, some religious buildings were already standing there, this temple among them.
Did the city of Ayothaya really exist?
Those who believe in an earlier city of Ayothaya usually point to three groups of evidence: temple names in the Northern Chronicle, such as Wat Doem, Wat Kudi Dao and Wat Maheyong; the Luang Prasoet Chronicle's record that Phra Chao Phanaeng Choeng was made at Wat Phanan Choeng in 1324; and traces of canals in the eastern area that can be interpreted as a city moat.
However, an article in the Journal of Ayutthaya Studies published in 2025 reviews the archaeological evidence and finds that traces of settlement in the eastern area from before the city's founding are very scant. Dense settlement began in the 20th century of the Buddhist Era (roughly 1358–1457), and the city spread eastward from the island, not the other way round. The question of Ayothaya therefore remains a debate in which both sides deserve an open-minded reading.
Another piece of evidence often cited is the account of the Dutch merchant Jeremias van Vliet, who wrote in 1638 that Wat Doem was one of the four most important temples of Ayutthaya. But there is not yet proof that the Wat Doem in his account is the Wat Ayothaya we see today.
What is its connection to King Naresuan?
As far as can be verified, no chronicle or contemporary record says that Naresuan came to Wat Ayothaya, or that any event of his reign took place here.
In his era, though, the fields east of the city island were the side from which enemies most often closed in on the capital. King Bayinnaung set up his royal camp at Wat Maheyong, not far from here, in the war that ended with the fall of Ayutthaya in 1569, and later King Maha Thammaracha had the Chandra Kasem Palace built and extended the city wall on the east side to meet threats from this direction.
Wat Ayothaya through the eras
Look at the same spot on the map across five eras.
- Early Ayutthaya (1351–1488): legend says this is Wat Doem, which existed before the city was founded; archaeological evidence has not yet confirmed it.
- Naresuan's era (1548–1605): a temple in the eastern fields, the approach used by enemy armies; no specific events recorded.
- King Narai's era (1656–1688): if the Wat Doem in van Vliet's account is this temple, it was one of the capital's important temples, and a prang may have been added in the period just before.
- The fall of Ayutthaya in 1767: no specific record; the temple fell into disrepair afterwards.
- Today: an active temple with monks, a large cracked chedi and ancient ruins.
What to see
Behind the ubosot is the bell-shaped main chedi on an octagonal base, decorated with stucco lotus-petal mouldings. Its top has broken off and it has large cracks; scholars estimate that it was originally about 30 metres tall. Nearby are a prang on a twelve-sided base, which may date from around the reign of King Prasat Thong, and the base of a late-Ayutthaya chedi.
The present ubosot was rebuilt on the foundations of the old one in the Rattanakosin period. At the eastern entrance stand a pair of pillars about two and a half metres tall, and there are two small chedis from the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) holding the ashes of the abbot of the time and his relatives.
Getting there and visiting
The temple is in the same area as Wat Kudi Dao, Wat Maheyong and Wat Samana Kot, so you can visit them one after another in half a day. As monks still live here, dress modestly and do not disturb their religious activities. Look at the cracked chedi from a safe distance.
Where historians still disagree
- A city of Ayothaya before Ayutthaya: one side uses the Northern Chronicle, Phra Chao Phanaeng Choeng (1324) and traces of canals as evidence; the other side, for example the article in the Journal of Ayutthaya Studies (2025), holds that no archaeological evidence of such a city has yet been found in the eastern area.
- Is Wat Doem the same as Wat Ayothaya? Van Vliet named Wat Doem as one of the four important temples in 1638 but did not say where it was, so it cannot yet be proved that he meant this temple.
- Age of the prang: its twelve-sided base leads some scholars to suggest it was built around the reign of King Prasat Thong, but there is no inscription or document yet to confirm this.
Visiting information
- Dress modestly: monks still live at this temple.
- Do not go near or climb the cracked chedi.
- You can continue on to nearby Wat Kudi Dao and Wat Maheyong.
Frequently asked questions
Did Wat Ayothaya really exist before Ayutthaya?
The legend in the Northern Chronicle says so, but no archaeological evidence yet confirms it, and scholars still disagree about the city of Ayothaya.
Why is Wat Ayothaya called Wat Doem?
Because it is believed to be the Wat Doem of legend, the palace a pre-Ayutthaya king gave to become a temple, so the name is still used locally.
Is Wat Ayothaya connected with King Naresuan?
No direct link has been found, but the eastern fields where the temple stands were the route by which enemies closed in on the capital in his time.
Last updated 10 November 2026