Wat Lokaya Sutha

History of Wat Lokaya Sutha

To be honest, little is known about the origins of this temple… One hypothesis, however, is that it must have been quite important in its time, given its proximity to the royal palace (only 350 meters separate them). Furthermore, while its founding date is unknown, the architectural style of the prang, though more modest in size, shares the same architectural elements as Wat Mahathat or its neighbor, Wat Ratchaburana, suggesting that the temple dates from the early Ayutthaya period.

Other sources even suggest that Wat Lokaya Sutha was the work of King Intharatcha I.^er (Nakarinthara) who reigned from 1408 until 1424. We can summarize by estimating a origin dating back to the beginning of the 15th century.

Other evidence suggests that this monastery may have served worshippers from the north. In the northwest corner, there is a Lanna-style chedi, with an octagonal base and an overall shape similar to a "classical" prang, but the style here is more characteristic of the Haripunchai kingdom in Lamphun, which preceded the Lanna kingdom.

Otherwise like a good part of Ayutthaya, Wat Lokaya Sutha suffered the wrath of the Burmese army in 1767, leaving behind only a veritable field of ruins, particularly obvious here as there is not much left. When excavations were undertaken on the site, remains of other statues were found there, the heads of which are now exhibited in the temple adjacent to Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit.

Architecture of Wat Lokaya Sutha

It is a bit of a "miniature" version of the classical temples of that time. For comparison, the width of Wat Mahathat exceeds 200 m while Wat Lokaya Sutha is only 130 m. It is also in an East-West alignment, with the main chedi (or prang) in the center, the Ubosot to the west and three viharns to the east.

There is also a courtyard surrounded by a gallery, with a chedi at each corner. The reclining Buddha was originally in a viharn located at the far west of the temple. There are also a few chedis distributed outside the main area. There is also a tower, located a few meters from the feet of the reclining Buddha (southwest corner of the temple) which once supported the bell calling to prayer.

Although the layout of the buildings is clearly visible from the sky, on site it is not easy to imagine what everything looked like, because all the buildings except the prang are in ruins apart from their foundations.

1- The central prang

The prang is usually the central part of a temple and therefore built first. Standing on a raised base, the prang, a corncob-shaped tower, rises to a height of 30 meters. Its entrance faces the rising sun in the east. Of its former splendor, only a few stucco ornaments on the upper part of the structure remain.

2- The three viharns

To the east of the prang were once three sermon halls, or viharns, aligned side by side. The main viharn, located in the centre, directly adjacent to the prang, is also nested in the gallery surrounding the central tower.

3- The ubosot, the ordination hall

In the courtyard directly west of the central prang is the ubosot, the hall where novices were ordained as monks. The brick structure is 33 metres long and 14 metres wide. Six boundary stones (called sema) still stand around the ubosot and mark the hall's sacred space.

4- The 42-meter reclining Buddha

Located just behind the ubosot to the west, a viharn housed an imposing statue of the reclining Buddha. Today, only the foundations of the hall and the remains of the octagonal pillars that supported the roof remain.

Positioned on a north-south axis, with its head facing west, this statue, known as "Phra Buddha Sai Yat," is constructed of brick and cement. It measures 42 meters long and 8 meters high.

The Buddha's head rests on a "cushion" shaped like lotus flower buds. His head is supported by his right arm, which is held vertically, a characteristic of reclining Buddhas from the mid-Ayutthaya period, i.e., after the 16th century.

The statue was restored starting in 1954, but the bulk of the work was carried out by the Thai Department of Fine Arts two years later. Interestingly, the restored statue deviates slightly in style from its original appearance.

Looking at the head, one can see that the Buddha wears a headdress resembling a nobleman's crown, although it's not certain that the original headdress had this appearance. However, it remains consistent with the mid-Ayutthaya period, around the 14th and 15th centuries. What is certain is that the facial features differ slightly, particularly the shape of the lips, which is nevertheless clearly visible in photographs dating from before the restoration.

Subsequently, it remained covered for a long time by a long orange sheet, symbolizing the famous saffron-colored robes of the monks. But recently, this had been removed, and a further renovation was carried out more recently, giving it a questionable, almost new appearance…

I'll conclude this section by mentioning the small altar visible in front of the statue, with a miniature version of Buddha covered in gold leaf, which people come to affix as a sign of respect. Tables are set up nearby for placing lotus flowers as offerings, which vendors will eagerly try to sell you upon arrival, explaining that they will bring good luck. This is one of the few places in Thailand where I've witnessed this kind of aggressive sales tactic.