Wat Mahathat (Temple of the Great Relic) is a royal temple and center for Buddhist learning in Bangkok.
History
This first-class royal temple dates from the Ayutthaya period, when it was known as Wat Salak. It was
renovated by Prince Surasinghanart, younger brother of King Rama I, around 1783 and renamed Wat Nipphanaram. In 1788 the king
renamed it Wat Phra Sri Sanphet and then later renamed it Wat Mahathat since relics of the Buddha are enshrined there.
The temple now contains the Maha Chulalongkorn Ratchawitthyalai university for monks and is a center for Buddhist study
and vipassana meditation. It is also the residence of the Supreme Patriarch, the head of the monastic order in Thailand.
What to see
Apart from the enshrined Buddha relics in the square-shaped mondop, the temple features what is believed to be the largest
ubosot (ordination hall) in Bangkok, a large viharn (assembly hall) and the small Viharn Noi worship hall used by King
Rama IV when he was a monk.
Getting there
The temple is on the west side of Sanam Luang and can be reached by buses that run there or to nearby Wat Phra Kaew. There is
no entrance fee but donations are appreciated.
Updated: June 4, 2012.
