Wat Chaiwatthanaram stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, outside Ayutthaya's old city island. King Prasat Thong built this large royal temple in 1630. Its tall main tower and ring of chapels still shape the view.
Ayutthaya's royal records date the temple to 1630. The site was linked to the king's mother. A high base holds the main prang, four small corner prangs and eight chapels. A gallery runs around them.
Some scholars see the layout as a model of Mount Meru and the world around it. That is a reading of the design. It does not tell us how each building was used.
The ruins include the prangs, chapels, a hall for monks and two sunken chedis. Thailand listed the site as an ancient monument in 1935. Teams dug and repaired parts of it from 1987 into the early 1990s. Some of what you see is the result of that work.
The temple is across the river from the old city island. Check the road route before adding it to a walk around the main ruins.