Wat Rachaburana, Ayutthya

Very close to Wat Mahathat, is the wat with the most beautiful prang. Infact, it is just across the road. It has one of the most beautiful preserved prangs.

main prang as seen from Wat Mahathat

Some historical background:
King Intharacha ruled Ayutthya from 1409 to 1424. After his death, there was a duel between his two elder sons over succession to the throne. They fought each other and were both killed. Prince Sam Phraya was the next on line and so sat on the throne and was given the title of King Borommarachthirat II. He built the monument on the site where his brothers were cremated.

Viharn:
As soon as one enters the wat premises, only the walls of viharn are left to be seen. According to records the viharn and ubosot were a much later addition to the wat.

walls of the viharn

an image of dismembered Buddha sits in viharn

Gallery:

Building of a gallery surrounding the main prang was prevalent at that time. The gallery used to be closed and had Buddha in sitting posture facing the prang.

gallery with fragmented images

broken pieces and dismembered figures

Ubosoth or the ordination hall:

Ubosoth like the viharn was a much later addition to the monastery. It lies on the west of monastery whereas viharn is on the opposite direction.

sema stones visible

one of the many chedis in the wat complex

 another chedi

stucco work still visible

Prang:

The most beautiful attraction to the monument is the prang. It was influenced by Khmer architecture. The main or the pradhan prang is surrounded by four small chedis in four cardinal directions forming a quincunx.
The monastery was earlier surrounded by water. Thus, the central prang represented Mount Meru being surrounded by ocean.

The small surrounding chedis are bell shaped in Sri Lankan style.

The prang stands on a platform and above that the base of prang is indented. The prang was covered by scaffolding and renovation was underway when we visited. Taking good photos was a challenge.

On the four corners above, in line with the smaller prangs, sits garuda on a multi headed naga. On the sides are seen dwarpalas.

The garuda above lacks the naga, probably has been damaged.

On all four sides there are steps leading to the prang. Because of renovation we went around the prang and fortunately the south end was clear. Right in front of us stood an image of Buddha under a projected porch.  It is similar to the ones used in Hindu temples where images of deity are placed.

image inside the porch

I tried to shoo away a pigeon which was persistently sitting on Buddha's hands. The color of the robe has partly sustained and witnessed time.

view of ubosoth and gallery

Entrance to crypt:

This is the highlight of Wat Racha Burana and is considered one of the most unique type of crypt architecture.

There are three entrances to the crypt. North, South and East. West obviously did not have any entrance as it signifies the setting sun and also death. Unfortunately for us, only the east entrance was open.

Once you enter the room, there are steep steps leading to the crypt. I could not gather the courage to go down these steps. It would soon become claustrophobic as the room is very tiny without any light. But, if you are not bothered by small confined spaces, I would suggest you definitely go down.

There are beautiful murals and fresco, though some are not in very good condition.

Just behind the way to steps is a small room which has pictures of what was found in the crypt. The room smelt of bats and you could hear them squeaking.

In 1956, the Fine Arts Department excavated the central prang of Wat Mahathat and found plenty of artifacts. Thinking on the same line, some looters made their way into the crypt of Wat Rachaburana in 1957 and escaped with a huge booty. They were apprehended by police. Some of it was reclaimed but most was lost.

Later, the Fine Arts Department undertook the task of restoration in 1958 and discovered more valuables. They are now placed and can be seen at Chao Sam Phraya Museum in Ayutthya.

entrance fees:
50 Baht
timings: 0800 hours to 1700 hours

Other wats worth a visit: Wat Yaichai Mongkol, Ayutthya, Wat Sri Sanphet,Ayutthya, Wat Mahathat, Ayutthya, Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthya