Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya Province

Wat Phra Si Sanphet, located in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, is a significant temple built within the royal palace grounds. It is comparable to Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram in Bangkok or Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai. Constructed around 1492 by King Ramathibodi II, its notable feature is the three Lanka-style stupas aligned from east to west. The first stupa was built on the eastern side. Wat Phra Si Sanphet served as the royal temple without resident monks, becoming the prototype for Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram in the Grand Palace, which also lacks resident monks. Later, King Rama I ordered the damaged parts of the principal Buddha statue to be brought to Bangkok. These irreparable pieces were placed in a large stupa, which was then named "Chedi Sanphet Danyan."