Wat Phra Mahathat | Nakhon Si Thammarat

Wat Phra Mahathat

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahavihan to give it the full name, is the latest addition to Thailand’s UNESCO World Heritage list, coming hot on the heels of 2024’s mixed prehistoric, Dvaravati and Khmer site Phu Phrabat. The ancient temple, or monastery, is Thailand’s 9th site and the first in the southern region of the country. We’ve covered existing listings in a previous Thai World Heritage post but as a reminder the list includes the following.

Cultural sites; Ban Chiang – a prehistoric site in eastern Thailand whose main feature of interest for the casual visitor is the small, local museum; the aforementioned, sprawling Phu Phrabat; the ancient Mon city of Si Thep in Central Thailand’s Petchabun Province and the well-known former capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.
Natural World Heritage Sites comprise the three ‘forest complexes’ – protected areas consisting of interlocking national parks and wildlife sanctuaries – of Kaeng Krachan in the upper Peninsula, Don Phayayen-Khao Yai which forms the eastern forest complex and the vast western forest complex along the Myanmar border, Thung Yai-Huay Kha Khaeng.

Wat Phra Mahathat tis the only site so far listed which consists of a single, or small group of, buildings as opposed to entire ancient cities. The venerable old temple – UNESCO assigns it some 1500 years – is situated in the southern section of modern-day Nakhon Si Thammarat City, in turn located in the province of the same name. The city lies in the eastern part of the narrow Malay Peninsula, with the Tha Phae River providing access to the nearby Gulf of Thailand coast. The particularly unusual-shaped city measures little more than a kilometre wide but extends north-south for some 8 kilometres.

Much of the temple one sees today is thought to date to the 15th century, although as UNESCO point out, earlier incarnations existed on the site and consists of a large, bell-shaped chedi, said to house relics of the Buddha himself, enclosed by ornate cloisters which in turn are surrounded by a rectangular, gallery-lined courtyard filled with Buddha images and housing 158 smaller stupas or chedis. Additional religious structures, shrines and a small museum lie beyond the galleries.

Architectural and decorative styles are eclectic and alongside the Theravada Buddhist imagery and symbolism show Chinese, Mahayana Buddhist, Hindu and Brahmanical influences. If we limit ourselves to the architectural details and religious symbolism – neither of which are our specialist subjects – the post will be brief so we’ll look into the fascinating history of Nakhon Si Thammarat Town as well.

The surrounding ancient settlement is thought to have begun life in the 2nd or 3rd centuries CE as a maritime trading port connecting early Sri Lankan and Indian cultures with Funan to the east in the Mekong Delta. Records name the settlement as Ligor and describe additional influences from the Mon cities of what is now Myanmar and Central Thailand, Srivijaya and the Saliendras to the south in Sumatra and Java respectively as well as China.

For the first centuries of its existence Ligor filled a role as an important Southeast Asian centre for Theravada Buddhism while politically it appears to have vacillated between periods of independence and Srivijayan dominance. The city state’s heyday from the 10th to 13th centuries, by which time inscriptions offer the name Tambralinga, corresponds with that of the Angkor civilisation and although the relationship between the two is poorly understood there were clearly close connections to the north as well as the aforementioned Srivijayans to the south. The prestigious early 11th century Angkorian king Suryavarman I is actually thought by many historians to originate from Tambralinga although not all authors concur.

This would be curious as no Angkorian/Khmer sites are recorded from the region – the southernmost being in present-day Petchaburi over 600 kilometres to the north – which begs the question, how could a presumed prince or aristocrat from Nakhon become ruler at Angkor without the former subsequently displaying any Angkorian vestiges or obvious influences. Particularly when it regards Suryavarman I who is well-known for commissioning Hindu sanctuaries far and wide in his empire and who, as one of his first acts, ordered construction of temples marking the four cardinal points of his territories. Furthermore, Tambralinga’s role as a major centre of the Theravada religion doesn’t seem to have rubbed off on the king, as unlike several other Angkorian rulers, he’s only known to have commissioned Hindu/Shivaite sanctuaries.

It’s also unclear whether Ligor/Tambralinga’s decline in the 14th century, a similar period to that of Angkor, is significant or merely coincidental but the city also apparently fell under the control of the emergent and fast-expanding Sukhothai kingdom. (The city state lies a long way from nascent Sukhothai so we’re somewhat sceptical of the extent of its control over this far southern region.) However, with another name change to Nakhon Si Thammarat – derived from the Sanskrit Nagara Sri Dharmaraja meaning City of the Dharma King or Virtuous King – by the late 15th century the city had unarguably become the administrative and political hub of the south for the subsequent Ayutthaya kingdom. Aside from a couple of revolts by autonomy inclined rulers, Nakhon was to remain an integral part of Siam/Thailand through the Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods to the present day.

Today Nakhon Si Thammarat is an interesting city with a distinctive character, (as well as a distinctive cuisine), and anything which increases interest in an already visit-worthy destination is good news. Second only to Hat Yai in size, in the southern half of Thailand, at present, the city and indeed province see very few foreign visitors. While it deserves more with the lush forests and waterfalls of Khao Luang National Park located a short drive from the city, the picturesque coastal resorts of Khanom and Sichon just to the north and Phattalung’s unique Thale Noi wetlands and inland sea to the south, our sceptical side wonders how many tourists are going to be drawn to an ancient temple, however spectacular, from the nearby Koh Samui nightlife, overcrowded islands of Krabi or package tour resorts of Phuket.

A visit to Nakhon Si Thammarat features on our South Thailand, Mountains and Rainforest tour.