What Phanan Choeng

Wat Phanan Choeng is best known for its enormous seated Buddha, considered one of the most beautiful in the country. Local legend has it that a tear flowed from one of its eyes just before the destruction of Ayutthaya by the Burmese army in 1767.

Its history otherwise remains relatively unknown. It is said to have been founded as early as 1324, 26 years before King U-Thong (Ramathibodi I by his dynastic name) made Ayutthaya the capital of his new kingdom.

The temple is located on the bank of the Pa Sak River, which flows east of the city. It can be reached by ferry that crosses from the "island" that makes up the historic part of Ayutthaya to the quay adjacent to the temple. Finally, note that the full name of the temple is "Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan".

A 19 m tall Buddha

As I mentioned in the introduction, the main attraction of this temple is its imposing statue of Buddha. Made of brick and mortar, this representation of Buddha, called Phra Chao Phanan Choeng (which gives its name to the temple, as is often the case) is in the classic sitting position known as the submission of Mara (god of death and illusion), or more commonly known as "calling the Earth to witness". Sitting next to him are two statues of two of his closest disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana.

This statue dates back to the founding of the temple and will therefore soon celebrate its 700 years ! It spent its first years in the open air upon its completion, as the viharn had not yet been built.

Today, Phra Chao Phanan Choeng is well protected in a large meeting hall, soberly called Viharn Phra Phanan Choeng. A small peculiarity, however, concerns the interior of this building, generally covered with murals, when here, one finds hundreds of small niches each sheltering a statuette of Buddha.

The origin of the temple

According to legend, a king named Phra Chao Sai Nam Phung, who ruled the region before the founding of Ayutthaya, wanted to marry the daughter of a Chinese emperor.

When the princess, named Soi Dok Mak, arrived by boat to meet the king, the latter was not there to greet her. After waiting a long time in vain for the king to return, the princess killed herself in despair by simply stopping her breathing (I am not here to judge the logic of this legend...). When the king finally returned, he was struck with grief and built Wat Phanan Choeng on the spot where she was cremated.

Chinese Building and Shrine of Lady Soi Dok Mak

By learning about this story, we can better understand the logic of why we find within the complex, a small, colorful Chinese temple decorated with dragons, which faces the Pa Sak River.

Two buildings make up this small complex, with Chinese warriors guarding its entrance (in painting, I mean). The first building is dedicated to Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, often depicted with many arms. It is said that she has a thousand arms, allowing her to help a large number of people at the same time.

The other building contains the shrine to Lady Soi Dok Mak, with a statue of the Chinese princess for whom the temple was built.

The ubosot

Among the many other buildings making up the temple, noteworthy is the ubosot, the ordination hall, which contains three very ancient Buddha statues, all in the seated position. The main image in the center is 2.5 m tall and completely gilded.