Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, Phitsanulok

Temple Of The Phra Buddha Chinnarat, Often Called The Most Beautiful Buddha Image In Thailand · Phitsanulok, Phitsanulok

Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, known to everyone in Phitsanulok simply as Wat Yai, the big temple, stands on the east bank of the Nan river in the centre of the city and holds the Phra Buddha Chinnarat, a seated bronze Buddha of the Sukhothai era, gilded from head to foot, that many Thais consider the most beautiful Buddha image in the country. Its serene face and the flame-like arch that frames it, ending in the heads of nagas, have been copied in temples all over Thailand, including a famous replica at Wat Benchamabophit in Bangkok. The image sits at the far end of a dim, lofty viharn entered through doors inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and behind the hall rises a tall central prang ringed by cloisters of Buddha images. Thai pilgrims arrive in their thousands, especially at weekends and on holidays, and the lanes outside are lined with stalls of offerings, amulets and snacks. The temple makes the natural first stop in Phitsanulok, a river city and railway town about an hour from Sukhothai.

90 Phutthabucha Road, Nai Mueang, Phitsanulok, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the temple grounds are open every day from early morning, around 6.30 or 7 am, until about 6 pm, with the viharn open through the day and sometimes into the evening on holy days; there is no weekly closing day for the temple. The temple museum keeps shorter hours and may close on some days; the Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum opens roughly 8.30 am to 4.30 pm with a weekly closing day to check. The traps that ruin a visit are arriving late morning on a weekend or holiday and queuing to see the image, being turned away for dress, finding the folk museum on its closing day and missing the Phra Buddha Chinnarat altogether by rushing on to Sukhothai. Confirm current times before relying on them.

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