Wat Sra Sri

Situated to the northwest of Wat Maha That, this ancient monument was built beautifully in the middle of a large reservoir known as Tra Phang Tra Kuan. The important buildings include a chedi in circular bell shape, a vihara and the ordination hall in the middle of the reservoir. Prior to 1978 AD, there was a road named Charot Withi Thong running through the temple. The Fine Arts Department pulled it down and built a new one along the reservoir. The round shaped stupa serves as historical evidence of the diffusion of Sinhalese Buddhism in Sukhothai. This circular stupa is sometimes known as the chedi in Sri Lankan bell shape and the ordination hall constructed in the middle of the reservoir points to a Buddhist concept of demarcating an area where monks perform religious functions by enclosure of the holy precincts with water as a symbol of purity.

Ayutthaya Historical Research