Wat Mahathat or the Monastery of the Great Relic.

Many people wonder how the Buddha’s head became entwined in the roots of the tree. There are many theories, one theory suggests that trees grew around the head of the Buddha after the temple was abandoned. In another theory, a thief moved the head of the Buddha from the ruins of the main temple, but couldn’t move the head of the Buddha over the wall encircling the temple. So the thief left the head of the Buddha next to the wall. Over time the roots grew and wrapped themselves around the head of the Buddha. Either way it has become a powerful and iconic symbol of Thailand.

A  Wat is a Buddhist temple in Thailand, Cambodia or Laos. The term is borrowed from Pali vatta. The Wat Mahathat Ayutthaya is located in the center of old Ayutthaya, between Chi Kun Road and Naresuan Road in the northeast corner of Phra Ram Park. The history of Wat Mahathat starts in 1374 when King Borommaracha I erected a temple at this place, bearing another name.

“In the Year of the Tiger 736 C.S. Somdet Phra Borommarachathirat and Phra Mahathera Thammakanlayan built the great, glorious, holy, jewelled reliquary (Phra Si Rattana Mahathat) east of the palace (the Royal gable of the lion). He rose 19 wah in height and equipped with a nine-membered tip that is another 3 wah in height.”

His nephew and successor Ramesuan (1369-1370, 1388-1395) expanded the site in 1384 to build a great temple, while he was here as a monk between his throne offices. During this time the temple got its present name.

“The goal of Buddhism is Nirvana, freedom of the mind. That is the end of all sufferings, conflicts and sorrows. The solution for supreme happiness. But, also, the Buddha emphasized the importance of the present life and living it righteously as a path to ultimate contentment”

Location : Wat Mahathat Ayutthaya, Thailand

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