Wat Phanan Choeng

Luang Pho To — the colossal Buddha at the water's edge

The heart of Wat Phanan Choeng is Luang Pho To — formally Phra Buddha Trai Rattana Nayok — a colossal stucco Buddha in the Subduing Mara posture, roughly 19 metres tall with a lap some 14 metres wide. Built of brick and mortar and gilded all over, it fills its assembly hall almost to the ceiling and ranks among the largest and oldest seated Buddha images in Thailand. Boatmen have long revered it as a guardian of river travel, stopping to pay their respects before setting out.

Legend holds that just before Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese in 1767, tears flowed from the image's eyes down to its navel, as if it wept for the doomed capital. King Rama IV had it thoroughly restored in 1854 and bestowed its formal name, Phra Buddha Trai Rattana Nayok.

The legend of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak and the temple's name

The name 'Phanan Choeng' carries two stories. One is bound to the tragic romance of Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak. As the legend goes, a Chinese emperor gave his daughter in marriage to King Sai Nam Pheung of Ayutthaya, but when her boat arrived he did not come down to receive her in person; heartbroken, the princess held her breath and died on this very bank. The king raised a shrine in her memory — believed by many to be the origin of the temple's name.

A second explanation is linguistic: from Khmer, 'phanaeng' means to cross or interlace and 'choeng' means foot — together evoking the Buddha seated cross-legged. To this day the Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak shrine within the temple draws visitors seeking blessings in love and career.

Thai-Chinese devotion and the visit of the Ming fleet

Wat Phanan Choeng embodies a Thai-Chinese devotion rooted on this riverbank for more than seven centuries. Thai-Chinese worshippers revere Luang Pho To as 'Sam Po Kong' — the same name given to the Ming admiral Zheng He — so red-and-gold Chinese shrines, lanterns and drifting incense stand in easy harmony beside classic Thai architecture.

The chronicles record that in 1407 the Ming treasure fleet, on its second great voyage, called at Ayutthaya, and offerings were made to the temple in a ceremony joined by the Siamese court. (Some historians hold that the visitors were more likely officers of Zheng He's staff than the admiral himself.) For this reason Chinese pilgrims from around the world still make their way here in an unbroken stream.

From the river — what to look for from the boat

From the water, Wat Phanan Choeng is a key marker at the south-eastern corner of the island, right where the Pa Sak River flows into the Chao Phraya. Look for the tall white assembly hall and its tiered gilded roofs breaking above the riverside trees, with a cluster of red-and-gold Chinese shrines lining the bank.

The finest hour is late afternoon into dusk, when golden light washes over the hall's roofs and glances off the water. Come during Chinese New Year or a major worship day and you'll find the river and grounds especially thronged — a living devotional energy that sets this temple apart from the silent ruins elsewhere on the loop.

Frequently asked questions