Wat Saman Kottharam, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya

Wat Saman Kottharam, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, is located to the south of the historical site. It consists of a large prang base surrounded by a bent gallery in a square shape. The prang was built around the late Ayutthaya period, covering a round bell-shaped chedi that was situated on a connecting platform with chedis at each of the four corners, and is surrounded by another layer of glass walls built in the early Ayutthaya period. Further out to the east beyond the bent gallery is a large vihara, which was restored again in the late Ayutthaya period, similar to the ubosot which is located to the west of the temple in the same direction. The principal Buddha image in the ubosot is Phra Sri Saman Kotbopit, with a lap width of 149 inches and a height of 190 inches, made of sandstone in the Maravijaya posture, built since the early Ayutthaya period. The Mahathat Chedi, which remains only as a base, has a record in the testimony of Khun Luang Wat Pradu Songtham, a document from the Royal Archive, stating that it is one of the five main chedis of the capital. The term 'Mahathat Chedi' refers to the great chedi that enshrines the Buddha's relics. According to the records, there are five of them: Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Ram, Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Saman Kottharam, and Wat Phutthaisawan. Inside the temple, there are also monuments to King Taksin the Great, the Iron Palace, and the Pan Palace.