Thailand

Wat Phra Mahathat

WHS Score 0.0
rate
Votes 0
Show votes
Votes for Wat Phra Mahathat
Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan is the main Buddhist temple of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, the largest province in Southern Thailand. Here Singhalese Theravada Buddhism was introduced by King Sri Thammasok, who constructed Wat Phra Mahathat. The main stupa of the temple, called Phra Borommathat Chedi, literally, the Great Noble Relics Stupa, was built in the early 13th century CE. It is claimed to house relics of Buddha. A bodhi tree on the premises is believed to be a sprout of the Mahabodhi tree in the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, India

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat (ID: 5752)
Country
Thailand
Status
Nominated 2026 Site history
History of Wat Phra Mahathat
Criteria
  • ii
  • vi
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Natural landscape: Mountain
  • Religious structure: Buddhist
  • Cultural Landscape: Continuing

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 16/03/23.

Els Slots

Wat Phra Mahathat

Wat Phra Mahathat (Nominated)

Wat Phra Mahathat by Els Slots

Wat Phra Mahathat is the largest Buddhist temple of Southern Thailand. It is also an especially holy one, as it houses the relic of a Tooth of the Buddha. This combined makes it a busy and important pilgrimage site. The temple is located in Nakhon Si Thammarat, one of the oldest towns in Thailand. Not much English is spoken or written here, the beach tourists and backpackers usually don’t make it this far south.

I arrived in the afternoon, after a 6-hour minibus ride from Phuket. Nakhon’s street layout is a bit weird, with parallel streets running north-south with some village-like neigbourhoods in between. The temple is a large structure along one of these north-south oriented streets, its main stupa is so huge it cannot be missed. There’s also a hive of activity in front and near it, as both souvenirs and offerings are sold in large quantities.

There’s no entrance fee to enter via one of the gates, and the site seems to be open all day. First, you arrive in the outer complex, which has a few freestanding structures. The main vihara is fully under scaffolding at the moment. There’s also a building with a two-tiered roof that contains a Buddha footprint shrine. And there are two smaller stupas.

A further gate will then introduce you to the inner complex, which houses the main stupa and 158 little chedis (with the ashes of devotees) around it. This 13th-century stupa is made in Singhalese style, its …

Keep reading 0 comments