Chedi Si Suriyothai

The chedi is located in the area presumably to be Wat Sop Sawan, a monastery which was built on the cremation site of Queen Suriyothai in 1543. The royal chronicles of Ayutthaya: Phan Chantanumat (Choem)'s version, the Phra Chakkraphaddiphong (Chad)’s version and the Phra Racha Hatthalekha version describe “… to conduct the royal cremation of Queen Suriyothai who died in elephant-combat…to consecrate the cremation ground and build a chedi and viharn named Wat Sop Sawan…” With a massive size of this chedi, this led to believe that it should be the main edifice of the temple and thus should be erected in 1543.

As the location of the temple was part of the Royal Garden hence an alternative name: Wat Suan luang Sop Sawan (Suan Luang literally means a royal garden).

The site was listed and declared an ancient monument in the Government Gazette no. 52, part 75, on 8 March 1935.

Chedi Si Suriyothai is an indented or recessed chedi. It was built with brick and covered with plaster. The chedi faces northward and stands on an indented (or recessed) ambulatory platform.

The chedi's base is decorated with lines of sharp-edge moulding (lookkaew okkai) which supports the cella with can be accessed through the north staircase. There are porticoes projecting from the middle of all four sides of the cella. On these porticoes were topped with a miniature chedi. The next section is triple bases decorated with lines of sharp-edge moulding supporting the 12-angle indented (recessed) bell-shaped dome, a square pedestal, a shaft of the conical shape spire with a row of small columns, multi-tiered moulding cone-shaped spire and a top-most spire.

This chedi is plausibly the oldest surviving example of indented chedi or recessed chedi of Ayutthaya art.

1. No substantial evidence is availble indicating that Queen Suriyothai's ashes were interred in the chedi. Moreover, when this chedi was restored, only the Buddha’s relics and Buddha images were found inside the shaft of a conical spire.

2. King Vajiravudh gave the name ‘Si Suriyothai’ to this chedi.

3. Testimony of the King from Wat Pradu Songtham (Khamhaikan Khun Luang Wat Pradu Songtham) from the palace library (Ho Luang) describes this chedi as one of the Five Great Chedis of Ayutthaya: “The Five Great Chedis of the Capital are the Maha Chedi of Wat Suan Luang Sop Sawan, the Maha Chedi of Wat Khun Mueang Chai, the Maha Chedi of Wat Chao Phraya Thai, the 50-meter-high Maha Chedi of Wat Phukhao Thong and the 50-meter-high Maha Chedi of Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon.”

4. The Geography of Ayutthaya (Phumisathan Krung Si Ayutthaya) identifies the Chedi Wat Phukhao Thong as one of Ayutthaya’s Great Chedis in a suburbia group, as followed; “Also, the Great Chedi of Ayutthaya are three Maha Prasats and the Maha That Wat Phra Ram, Wat Na Phra That, Wat Ratchabunna [sic] and the Maha Chedi Wat Suan Luang Sop Sawan, Wat Khun Mueang Chai and the Buddha image of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Mongkon Bophit. In the suburbs of a city are the 92-meter-high Maha Chedi Wat Chao Phaya Thai, the 50-meter-high Wat Phukhao Thong and the Buddha image of Wat Phanaeng Choeng[sic] rebuilt by King Sampotian on the older statue. A finial of Chedi Wat Chao Phaya Thai Pa Kaew in a form of crystal sphere casts its shadow onto the land of this sub-district outside of the capital city.”

King Mongkut had the fourth and the last chedi of the Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakarn at Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm built in his name and said to be modeled after the chedi of Wat Sop Sawan which is Chedi Si Suriyothai.