a field trip to Ayutthaya: Wat Mahathat

Instead of chedis, we were greeted by prangs (ornately carved towers) in the next temple complex we visited in Ayutthaya. These prangs at Wat Mahathat actually reminded me of the bell towers of the baroque churches in Ilocos. But what intrigued me about these prangs was that these were constructed using brick and yet the builders were still able to put carved designs in them.

The Wat Mahathat, unlike the Wat Phra Si Sanpeth (a royal temple), was a Buddhist monastery... an important one too, given its proximity to the former Royal Palace. Walking deeper into the site, I could just imagine how grand it must have been when it was still operational. And it must have been crowded too, because Ayutthaya used to be the capital of the kingdom and this temple was (presumably) open to the public.

Some parts of the ruins are so damaged that it's easy to see the modern part of the city popping up in the background. This reminds me of Intramuros: as long as you look inwards, you can forget about time. But a look outwards will remind you that the city grew around the ruins.

In one of what I assume is a chapel, I saw an intact statue of Buddha sitting in lotus position. Other statues, all headless, were sitting in a similar position, as if in perpetual meditation.  

Around the bend, there were even more statues that were in worse conditions. There was a collection of fragments, which I hope the restorers can piece together.

The most photographed part of Wat Mahathat is the head of Buddha around which a bodhi tree has grown its roots. Legend has it that when the Burmese decapitated the Buddha statues, they buried the heads. Nature didn't like the situation so one of heads was lifted out from underground by the roots of the tree. Another theory says that a thief couldn't carry the head with him so he hid it in the roots, intending to come back for it. He never did and the head has become one of the most popular spots in Wat Mahathat.

Whatever the reason, the Buddha head in the roots was a spectacle to see. Unfortunately, we couldn't dally any longer; we were supposed to start the long drive back to Bangkok in time for dinner. So with one final look back, I said good bye to Wat Mahathat.

It was a culturally enriching day indeed.