The construction
of Wat Mahathat was begun during the reign of
King Borommarachathirat 1 in 1374 A.D. but it was completed
during the reign of King Ramesuan (1388-1396 A.D.). When King
Songtham (1680-1628 A.D.) was in power the main prang (Khmer-
style tower) collapsed. The restoration work on the prang was
probably completed in the reign of King Prasartthong (1630-
1655 A.D.). During the restoration the height of the prang was
considerably increased.
Wat Mahathat was
restored once again during the reign of King
Borommakot (1732-1758 A.D.) when four porticos of the main prang
were added. In 1767 A.D. when Ayutthaya was sacked the wat
was burnt and has since then been in ruins.
Wat Mahathat was a
royal monastery and has been the seat of
the Sangaraja, the head of the Buddhist monks of the Kamavasi
sect, since the time of the Mahathera Thammakanlayan, who was
a contemporary of King Borommarachathirat 1, who built the wat.
During the reign of
King Rama VI in the Rattanakosin period,
about 1911 A.D., the main prang of the wat collapsed again and
looters seized the opportunity to dig for treasure. Only in 1956
A.D. did the Fine Arts Department undertake excavations around
the central area of the prang where the relics must have been
kept. The relics of the Buddha were found in the stupa within a
seven layer reliquary. Other antiquities were recovered as well,
including Buddha images, votive tables, covered boxes shaped
like fish and golden plaques in the form of animals. All these
objects are now at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.
(Information is from the Department of
Fine Arts).
