Wihan Klaep

Wihan Klaep is said to have been built around 1538 CE by King Chai Ratcha as part of a large royal temple. Only the foundation of a single sermon hall and its brick walls remain. However, this monastery once had the highest building in Siam and housed an enormous amount of treasure. Its former name was Wat Chi Chiang Sai. Dutch trader Jeremias Van Vliet wrote in 1638 CE that its pillars were over three fathoms thick, approximately 18 feet, and an enormous amount of treasure was buried in its crypt. Wat Chi Chiang Sai was damaged by lightning and in poor condition when Van Vliet arrived, but its repair was prevented by a prophecy that only a pure king from the old bloodline could restore it. It was said that chiefs, overseers, and labourers were stricken blind or driven to insanity when attempting this task.

However, in 1639 CE, it was the Buddhist millennial year. Brahmin priests predicted that the whole country would be annihilated and later reborn. King Prasat Thong decided to prevent this upcoming destruction by launching a merit-making project to construct and renovate monasteries. King Prasat Thong financed this campaign by razing this temple to the ground to acquire the treasure beneath it. The bronze Buddha image inside Wat Chi Chiang Sai was moved to present Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit and a new vihara, paid for by the Myanmar government, was built to house it.

Ayutthaya Historical Research