Queen Suriyothai Chedi (Wat Suan Luang Sop Sawan): A Memorial to King Naresuan's Grandmother

How it connects to King Naresuan

One of Queen Suriyothai's daughters, originally named Princess Sawatdirat, was raised to the title of Queen Wisutkasattri. She became the chief queen of Maha Thammaracha and the mother of Princess Suphankanlaya, King Naresuan and King Ekathotsarot. Queen Suriyothai was therefore Naresuan's grandmother.

Naresuan was born in 1555, about seven years after his grandmother's death. Yet her heroism, and the fact that his own father had been taken prisoner in the same war, formed the backdrop to the years in which he grew up.

Later, during the reign of Maha Thammaracha, a residence was built for King Ekathotsarot, Naresuan's younger brother, in the nearby area that afterwards became the Rear Palace (Wang Lang). This neighbourhood was therefore also home to princes of this dynasty.

This spot through the eras

Follow how this point on the map changed from one era to the next.

• Founding of the city (1351–1488): neither the temple nor the chedi existed yet. This was riverside land on the western side of the city island, near where the Chao Phraya River met the old course of the Lopburi River.
• Naresuan's era (1548–1605): the era opens with the death and cremation of Queen Suriyothai. According to the chronicles, Wat Sop Sawan and its memorial chedi were founded here.
• King Narai's era (1656–1688): the site lay within the Suan Luang and Rear Palace district, an area of royal residences. A map made in 1751 still shows Wat Sop Sawan and Wat Suan Luang on opposite banks of a canal.
• Second fall of Ayutthaya (1767): during the war of 1760, the chronicles mention temples in this area as strongpoints where cannon were set up to fire back at the enemy across the river. After the city fell, the temple was abandoned.
• Today: in the Rattanakosin (Bangkok) period the area became an army camp. The chedi underwent a major restoration in 1990, and the gilding of the whole chedi was completed in 1991.

What to see

The chedi is a bell-shaped stupa with indented (redented) corners, built of brick and stucco on a tall, multi-tiered base. Porches project from all four sides, each topped with a small miniature chedi, and a stairway on the north side leads up to a chamber inside. Some scholars consider it possibly one of the oldest surviving Ayutthaya-period chedis with indented corners.

The 1990 restoration uncovered relics of the Buddha, a Buddha image in the posture of subduing Mara, miniature chedis and gold vessels inside the chedi. These are now kept at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.

It is said that when King Mongkut (Rama IV) had the fourth great chedi built at Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Pho) in Bangkok, he used this chedi as its model. If you have been to Wat Pho, try comparing the shapes.

Don't confuse it with the Queen Suriyothai Monument at Thung Makham Yong, which is a modern memorial outside the city island. This chedi is the historic monument on the island itself.

Getting there and visiting

The chedi stands near U Thong Road on the western side of the city island. The area is still associated with a military unit, and the grounds around the chedi are fenced and usually closed, so most visitors view it from the garden on the east side.

Another lovely angle is from a boat on the Chao Phraya River, where the white chedi with its golden spire stands out on the bank. It is ideal for photos in the soft light of early morning or late afternoon.