Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon (Wat Pa Kaeo): The Temple of Victory in the Memory of King Naresuan

The Chai Mongkhon chedi: when was it really built?

The most familiar explanation comes from Prince Damrong Rajanubhab in his book Phra Phuttha Chedi Sayam: the main chedi was built in Naresuan's reign to celebrate his victory, hence the name Chedi Chai Mongkhon ("chedi of auspicious victory"), and the temple became known as Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. However, the royal chronicles do not record its construction, so some explain that the king may instead have restored and enlarged an existing chedi.

In 2024, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rungrot Phiromanukun of Ramkhamhaeng University proposed that the chedi was probably built in the reign of Ramathibodi I, or even before the founding of the kingdom. His reasons: its shape resembles the chedi of Wat Phra Kaeo in Sankhaburi; the miniature chedis at the corners of the terrace resemble the bronze miniature chedis found in Suphanburi; and the bell, which is hollow right through to the harmika (the square platform above the bell), resembles the technique used in the tops of early prangs (Khmer-style towers).

He also asked how, after the continuous wars from 1548 onwards had greatly reduced the population of the Chao Phraya basin, and with men still being conscripted to fight, anyone could have found the enormous labour force needed to build a chedi of this size. The debate has not been settled.

This spot through the eras

This temple has lived through times of glory, times of abandonment, and a return to life. Follow it era by era on the map.

• Founding of the city (1351–1488): Wat Pa Kaeo was founded in the reign of King U Thong as the seat of the Sri Lankan-lineage monastic community.
• Naresuan's era (1548–1605): Somdet Phra Phonnarat pleaded for the pardon of the commanders after the elephant duel. The wihan (assembly hall) of the reclining Buddha is believed to have been built in this reign, and according to the traditional account the Chai Mongkhon chedi was also built or enlarged in this era.
• King Narai's era (1656–1688): it remained an important temple outside the capital. Kaempfer's map of 1690, made shortly after this reign, labels the temple "Tiampiatay", which comes from the name Wat Chao Phraya Thai.
• Second fall of Ayutthaya (1767): the temple was looted and damaged by the enemy, and abandoned along with the capital.
• Today: monks returned to live here in 1957. The reclining Buddha was remodelled and repaired in 1965, and a new ubosot (ordination hall) was built on the old foundations around 1979.

What to see

You can see everything in about an hour. Don't miss the following.

• The Chai Mongkhon chedi: a bell-shaped chedi on a tall square base, with a smaller chedi at each of its four corners. A stairway on the east side leads up to a terrace and an opening into the chamber inside the chedi.
• Buddha images around the chedi: only the column bases of the gallery (cloister) remain. Inside it, rows of newly made gilded Buddha images stand in place of the original images, which have been lost.
• The reclining Buddha: a white reclining Buddha in the ruins of a wihan. The original was damaged by people digging illegally for valuables, so it was remodelled. Visitors often bring cloth to drape over it as an offering.
• The ubosot (ordination hall): home to the Phra Phuttha Chai Mongkhon, a Buddha image deeply revered by the people of Ayutthaya.
• King Naresuan shrine-pavilion: at the back of the temple, it houses a statue of the king for the public to venerate. It is a modern building, and worshippers often bring statues of fighting cocks as offerings.

Getting there and visiting

From the Wat Sam Pluem chedi roundabout on Rojana Road, turn south onto Route 3059; the temple is on the east side of the road. A tuk-tuk or a bicycle from the city island is convenient.

This is a working temple with resident monks, not just a historic site, so dress modestly and behave respectfully. The temple regularly holds traditional ceremonies, such as the Tak Bat Thewo alms-giving after the end of Buddhist Lent, when monks walk down from the chedi to receive alms.