Phra Chedi Sri Suriyothai พระเจดีย์ศรีสุริโยทัย - Monument to a Queen Who Died to Save the King

PHRA CHEDI SRI SURIYOTHAI พระเจดีย์ศรีสุริโยทัย

Chedi Sri Suriyothai consists of a single bell-shaped chedi. Its base is square, and it has
many indented corners. It has been gilded with gold paint from the relic chamber to the top of its spire. There is an entrance on the northern side, but it is never open to the public for some reason. A locked courtyard has been constructed around this ruin. To its east is a small park that was built to commemorate the site.

According to Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, this monument contains the ashes of Queen
Suriyothai. Royal Chronicles describe her as a heroic wife of King Chakkraphat that died in battle while saving the life of the King. As the story goes, King Chakkraphat and two of his sons were leading an army into battle against the Burmese. Queen Suriyothai, fearing for her family’s safety, secretly dressed as a male soldier and rode an elephant into the fight. While fighting a Burmese general on the back of an elephant, King Chakkraphat’s elephant stumbled, which put him at risk to his opponent’s blade. Queen Suriyothai heroically charged in front of the enemy’s weapon, sacrificing her own life in his place. In her honor, King Chakkraphat had a funeral monument and a preaching hall constructed on the site of her Royal cremation. When it was finished, the King bestowed it with the name Sop Sawan Monastery.

This popular story has been questioned recently by modern academics. Some
believe that the main chedi was actually built sometime after 1765 to enshrine relics
brought by Sri Lankan monks, and that the famous elephant duel was fought instead by a
16-year-old princess named Phra Boromdhilok. Another theory is that the Chedi Sri Suriyothai has been constructed in a Late Ayutthaya period style more commonly associated with King Borommakot. Its square base and indented corners differs from the bell-shaped architecture used for chedi during King
Chakkraphat’s reign. Other critics have pointed out that it was actually King Chulalongkorn who is credited with naming this chedi after the Queen - centuries after the battle took place.

Despite these contradictions, Queen Suriyothai survives as a nationalistic image to promote Thai identity. In 2001, a popular movie was released that portrayed the story of
Queen Suriyothai. Chedi Si Suriyothai also influenced architecture in Bangkok during the
Chakri dynasty. “Sri Suriyothai Chedi served as the prototype for the chedi which King
Rama IV constructed at Wat Pho in Bangkok to join the outer three chedi built by the previous Kings on the Bangkok dynasty”

Whatever the history and origin of the Chedi is it’s still a nice place to stop and visit. Enjoy the video!

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