Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit

One of the largest bronze Buddhas in Thailand, restored after Burmese destruction

A large, gold-roofed viharn housing one of the biggest bronze Buddha images in Thailand. The seated statue is over 12 metres tall and covered in gold lacquer, its eyes cast from gold. It sits just south of the royal palace ruins, visible from Wat Phra Sri Sanphet.

Unlike the ruined temples that surround it, this viharn is a working religious site, rebuilt in the 1950s after centuries of exposure following the Burmese sack. The contrast is striking: gleaming devotional space surrounded by rubble. The building's bold red doors and white exterior make it one of the most photographed structures in the historical park.

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A story
When the Burmese burned Ayutthaya in 1767, the viharn collapsed onto the Buddha, shattering its spire and outer casing. The statue sat exposed to the elements for nearly two centuries before a major restoration in the 1950s, partly funded by Burma as an act of reconciliation.

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