Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan วัดพระมหาธาตุวรมหาวิหาร 1,000 Year Old Temple - Nakhon Si Thammarat

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan วัดพระมหาธาตุวรมหาวิหาร is the main Buddhist temple (wat) of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in southern Thailand. The main stupa of the temple, Phra Borommathat Chedi ('great noble relics stupa'), was built by King Sri Dhammasokaraja in the early 13th century to establish a symbol for the Theravada Buddhism sect in the province. The temple is believed to house a tooth of Gautama Buddha.

According to legend, Prince Thanakuman and Queen Hem Chala brought the relic of Buddha to Hat Sai Kaew and built a small pagoda in 291 . When King Si-Thamma Sokarat established the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat, he built a new temple called Wat Phra Borom That on the same site in the Mahayana-style of the ruling Srivijaya Kingdom. The city of Nakhon Si Thammarat was a prominent city in the ancient kingdom of Tambralinga. The city was a part of the Srivijaya empire till the early 13th century.

Historians believe that the city was almost emptied by epidemics and war, prompting the king to build a larger stupa in the Sri Lankan style with public participation and thereby re-develop the town community.

The other religious buildings were constructed between the 13th and 18th centuries including the Wihan-Bodhi Lanka, a roofed cloister around the bodhi tree which is believed to be a sprout of the Mahabodhi tree in the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, India.

The creation of the stupa led to Nakhon Si Thammarat becoming the center of Theravada Buddhism. Inscriptions from the Sukhothai Kingdom, speak of the influence the city and the stupa had in spreading and strengthening Theravada Buddhism in the kingdom. The temple also received patronage from the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which ruled over entire present day Thailand between the 14th and 17th centuries.

The stupa and other religious edifices were built over 100 years after construction of the original stupa began. It underwent massive restoration 10 times between 1612 and 2009. The temple was nominated to a tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 2012.

It’s the most Important religious site in southern Thailand and well worth a visit.

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