Wat Chaiyo, the temple where Somdej Phutthachan To created the Buddha image

Wat Chaiyo Worawihan is a second-class royal temple. It was originally an old temple of the common people. Its original name was “Wat Chaiyo”. When Somdej Phutthachan (To Phrommarangsi), the abbot of Wat Rakhang Khositaram, chose this temple to build a large Buddha statue in the open air, it took almost 3 years to build and was completed during the reign of King Rama IV. After the Buddha statue was completed, Somdej Phutthachan donated Wat Chaiyo to be a royal temple and it was given a new name, “Wat Kesachaiyo”. In 1887, the entire temple of Wat Kesachaiyo was renovated, causing the Buddha statue to be shaken by the force of the construction of the temple and collapsed. King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, therefore graciously ordered the construction of a new Buddha statue to replace it. His Highness Prince Pradit Wora-ngarm was the chief engineer. He demolished the original Buddha statue and laid a new foundation using a steel frame to hold bricks and cement inside, reducing its size from the original. This Buddha statue is called “Phra Maha Phutthaphim” or Luang Pho To, the Buddha image is 8 wa 6 inches wide and 11 wa 7 sok high. It is a Buddha image in the meditation posture. It has distinctive features. The face and ears are very much like an ordinary person. There are clear wrinkles on the robe and the ubosot. The main Buddha image is in the meditation posture. All walls are decorated with paintings by artists from the reign of King Rama V. They are beautiful paintings of the life of the Buddha and the deities. They are still in good condition. The door panels are intricately carved. In addition to being an important temple in Chaiyo District, there is another thing that makes the people know this temple very well: “Phra Somdej Kesa Chaiyo”, an amulet created by Somdej Phra Buddhacarya (To Phrommarangsi), which is full of various Buddhist virtues. #Rainy season attractions