Wat Si Chum

Situated outside the town wall at the northwest corner, this ancient monument is well known for a sitting Buddha image of large size. The Buddha image with its lap of 11.30 meters wide occupies the total space- of the building. Mentioned in Stone Inscription No 1, Phra Achana, the name of this Buddha image, means one who is not frightened. It is believed that Phra Achana was originally carved in the attitude of subduing Mara. The present one in sitting posture was renovated from 1953 to 1956 AD. The word Si derives from Sali, an indigenous word which means the bodhi tree. Therefore, the name Si Chum signifies a bodhi grove. In the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya, the word Si Chum is mistaken for Rusi Chum and is referred as a place where King Naresuan and his troops assembled before the army marched on Sawankhalok and from which the legend of talking Buddha image (Phra Achana) derives. Stone Inscription No.2 known as Wat Si Chum Inscription was found in a recess in the mandapa wall of this temple. The stone inscription deals with the founding of the Sukhothai dynasty and is regarded as historical evidence of great value. Moreover, drawings on the ceiling of the mandapa tell stories of former incarnations of Lord Buddha (Jataka) with a title written in the Sukhothai alphabet for each picture. Some of these pictures were drawn in the style of art similar to the characteristics of Sri Lankan art.

Ayutthaya Historical Research