Wat Phra Ram: The Temple on King U Thong's Cremation Site, Beside Bueng Phra Ram

How it connects to King Naresuan

There is no record of any important event at Wat Phra Ram during King Naresuan's reign. In his day it was an old royal temple in the heart of the capital, not far from the Ancient Royal Palace where he came to the throne in 1590.

But Wat Phra Ram matters in another way: it is one of the earliest examples of the custom of Ayutthaya kings building temples on royal cremation sites. Some versions of the chronicles say that Wat Ratchaburana was likewise built on the site where the princes Chao Ai Phraya and Chao Yi Phraya were cremated.

When Naresuan died in 1605, the chronicles say King Ekathotsarot built a monastery on the cremation site, but they do not name the temple. Historians have therefore used this custom as a guiding principle, and debate between Wat Worachettharam on the island, Wat Worachet Thep Bamrung outside the island and Wat Sop Sawan. One observation often raised is that before King Prasat Thong's reign, royal cremations were usually held within the city, as at Wat Phra Ram.

Bueng Phra Ram and the legend of Nong Sano

The large lake in front of the temple is named after it. It was originally called Bueng Wat Phra Ram (the lake of Wat Phra Ram), which people later shortened to Bueng Phra Ram. Some old documents call this area Nong Sano or Dong Sano, and Phraya Boran Ratchathanin suggested that the original name of the whole lake was Bueng Chi Khan, a name that appears in the Palace Law.

Van Vliet's account (1640) and the British Museum version of the chronicles link King U Thong's founding of the city to this pond. But some scholars, such as Sumet Jumsai, have questioned whether the lake really existed when the city was founded, because the maps of Kaempfer and Bellin do not show it.

Phraya Boran Ratchathanin believed the lake grew larger because earth was dug out here to fill the grounds of the palace and several important temples. Later, in 1956–1957, the government of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram dredged the lake and turned it into the public park you see today.

Wat Phra Ram through the eras

This spot on the map has a story for every era, from the first king to the present day.

• Founding of the capital (1351–1488): King Ramesuan had King U Thong cremated here and built Wat Phra Ram on the spot in 1369, according to the Luang Prasoet Chronicle.
• Naresuan's era (1548–1605): An old royal temple in the heart of the capital, near the Ancient Royal Palace where Naresuan reigned (1590–1605). No events specific to the temple are recorded in this era.
• King Narai's era (1656–1688): Father Tachard, who came with the French embassy, recorded in 1685 that the temple lay about a hundred paces south of the palace. Bellin's French map calls it the "Grande Pagode".
• Fall of Ayutthaya (1767): Not long after the major restoration of 1741, the temple was abandoned along with the city.
• Today: A historic ruin in Ayutthaya Historical Park. In the late 1950s, artefacts were found in its crypt, and Bueng Phra Ram in front became a public park.

What to see and visiting

The highlight is the main prang on its high base, still standing tall, surrounded by the ruins of the gallery, smaller chedis and subsidiary buildings. The most beautiful view is from the edge of Bueng Phra Ram, where the prang is reflected in the water, especially in the morning and in the soft light of late afternoon.

Wat Phra Ram is across the road from the entrances to Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit and Wat Phra Si Sanphet, so you can walk between them in half a day. To get a clearer sense of the custom of building temples on cremation sites, go on to Wat Ratchaburana, and to Wat Worachettharam, which is linked to King Naresuan.