Dhamma Path Blog: Wat Si Rattana Mahathat (Wat Yai) ~ Phra Puttha Chinnaraj (Part 1/3).

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Wat Si Rattana Mahathat (Wat Yai) ~ Phra Puttha Chinnaraj (Part 1/3).

Phitsanulok province is located in the middle between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, worth visiting with plenty of history, and the main attraction is Phra Phuttha Chinnaraj statue that veneration at temple Wat Si Rattana Mahathat. The famous Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat meaning "Temple of Great Jewelled Reliquary", also colloquially referred to as Wat Yai by local devotees, is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Phitsanulok Province, Thailand. Where it is located on the bank of the Nan River near Naresuan Bridge. Another most important statue is sacred Phra Buddha image named Phra Puttha Chinnaraj ("King of Victory"), considered by many to be the most beautiful Buddha image in Thailand. It is one of the most highly revered images in the country, which makes the temple an important pilgrimage site for Thai Buddhists. Beside this in Phitsanulok we could see many statues King Naresuan and many beautiful Mural painting inside the Wiharn temples.

The temple Wat Si Rattana Mahathat and its main Wiharn, housing the famous Phra Puttha Chinnaraj image.

The row of Phra Buddha statues at front side the entrance to Wiharn.

Always crowded by worshippers and tourists to pay respect to the sacred Phra Puttha Cinnaraj statue. With very vibrant colours and peaceful surrounding inside Wiharn and with fantastic Phra Buddha & King Naresuan statues.

The close view of beautiful Golden Phra Puttha Cinnaraj. The temple was founded in 1357 by King Phaya Lithai, King of the Sukhothai Kingdom. The King ordered the casting of three large Buddha images to be enshrined in the newly built temple. Some of the most famous artisans of his time were invited to do the job. While the first two images came out perfect on the first try, the last image took three castings. When it was completed, it turned out to be the most beautiful of the three and was named Phra Buddha Chinnaraj. The 375 centimeter high Sukhothai style image is in the subduing Mara posture.