Wat Na Phra Men

This small but interesting temple just north of the royal island has played a very pivotal role in the history of Ayutthaya. In the mid-eighteenth century, the king of Ayutthaya signed a peace treaty here with the king of Burma, but a few years later, in 1760, the Burmese attacked Ayutthaya. They got as far as Wat Na Phra Mane, where they set up canons to fire on the king's palace.

According to legend, the Burmese king himself was firing one canon when it blew up, mortally wounding him. When the Burmese returned to finally take Ayutthaya in 1767, they left the temple alone out of superstition about what had happened to their king the last time.

The ubosot was built in 1503, then reconstructed in the first half of the 17^th century by King Prasat Thong, in a style that is typical of the Ayutthaya style. The octagonal columns are topped with lotus cups. The windows are high narrow slits to let the air flow through.

Inside, the columns are painted a very dark red with gold decorations. The coffered ceiling is also intricately decorated in red and gold. On the dais at one end of the ubosot is a crowned Buddha image with a rather sour face, which is typical of the late Ayutthaya style.

Next to the ubosot is a very small wiharn housing the dark green Phra Khan Thavaraj Buddha image. The image is quite old, probably from the 7^th or 8^th century, and is depicted in a seated position, wiht the feet resting on a lotus (lily) pad.