Wat Krachai

Wat Krachai is located in the middle of several rice fields, where seasonal flooding is commonplace. The ruin has remained highly isolated. However, a new dirt road has recently been constructed. Wat Krachai is a considerably large ruin with a number of structures in situ. Its most outstanding feature is a large bell-shaped chedi in the middle-Ayutthaya period style. This chedi has been heavily looted over the years, and many large holes have been unfortunately burrowed deep into the chedi's surface - thus, weakening the structure. There is a large hollow chamber inside the chedi that can be entered. In addition, this ruin has traces of a large sermon hall, boundary walls, and portions of Buddha images. Wat Krachai was a site of military conflict. Royal chronicles refer to Nemiao, the general of the Burmese armies, leading conscripted men to establish stockades at the Monastery of the Krachai Plant in the final days of the Ayutthaya kingdom. Burmese troops then used large guns to fire upon the capital city from this site. Local folklore suggests that many soldiers and civilians were cremated at Wat Krachai after a series of battles leading to its being later haunting by ghosts.

Ayutthaya Historical Research