Wat Suthat Thepwararam

Foundation under King Rama I

In the early Rattanakosin period, King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok the Great (Rama I) ordered the construction of a temple within the inner city of the capital in 2350 BE (1807 CE). It was originally given the name "Wat Maha Sutthawat." The site lay in a grove of sakae trees and was low-lying ground, so the King ordered it filled in and built up as a temple.

He ordered the vihara (assembly hall) to be built first, to enshrine Phra Si Sakyamuni (Phra To), the great Buddha image brought from the royal vihara of Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai Province. The reign ended, however, before the temple was formally established as a monastic community, and so it came to be known variously as Wat Phra To, Wat Phra Yai, or Wat Sao Chingcha.

Continued construction under King Rama II

King Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai (Rama II) ordered the work to continue, and personally carved the door panels of the vihara. His reign, too, ended before the construction was completed.

Completion under King Rama III

The temple was finally completed in the reign of King Phra Nangklao Chao Yu Hua (Rama III), in 2390 BE (1847 CE), and was granted the name "Wat Suthat Thepwararam." In the royal chronicles the name appears as "Wat Suthat Thepthararam."

The naming of the principal Buddha images under King Rama IV

King Mongkut (Rama IV) gave the principal Buddha images of the vihara, the ubosot (ordination hall), and the sala kan parian (sermon hall) names that echo one another:

• Vihara — Phra Si Sakyamuni
• Ubosot — Phra Phuttha Tri Lokkachet
• Sala kan parian — Phra Phuttha Seratthamuni

Royal monument and royal ashes

Within Wat Suthat Thepwararam stands the royal monument to King Ananda Mahidol, Phra Atthama Ramathibodin (Rama VIII). His royal ashes were brought and enshrined in the phra thip cloth panel at the front of the pedestal of Phra Si Sakyamuni in 2493 BE (1950 CE).