The wall of Wat Mahathat Worawihan

No evidence related to the establishing history

Laterite

Since the Royal Viharn of Wat Mahathat was built in the overlapped area that used to be the site of a Khmer castle in the 18th century B.E., the archaeological excavations shows the diagram of the overlaid Khmer castle is as follows:

The diagram is square and at the center of the diagram appears a base of a principle prasat made of laterite surrounded by a curved outer wall. There are traces of the gopura only in the north and the south. It might be possible that the curved outer wall might have a gopura on each of the four directions and their positions corresponded with the positions of the gopuras of the inner wall made of laterite that is next to it. The east side shows a trace of a long path from the gopura of the curved outer wall connects to the gopura of the inner wall. On the inner wall adorns the Tap Lang (lintel) Kamphaeng which was made of red sandstone engraved a Buddha image sitting cross- legged in a meditating position; some lintels engraved a Buddha image while some engraved 2-4 Buddha images.The styles of the lintels are mixed between Khmer culture of the 18th century B.E, Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods.

The art style of the lintel in Bayon is mostly similar. They are Buddha images sitting cross-legged in a meditating position. The hair is flat with no decorations. The radius is in a cone shape. The eyebrows are connected and the eyes are looking low. The outer rope is plain with no decorations nor stripes. The Buddha images are situated on the arched wall, decorated its upper edges with Ruay Rakha and the lower edges are decorated with Kanok or Tua Ngao patterns facing inward.

Decorations in the inner wall with Buddha images appears in only a few places in Khmer Architecture in Thailand such as the Noen Khok Phra Archaeological Site, Pak Thong Chai District Nakhon Ratchasima province.

This wall is made of laterite and and there are many characteristics that can be compared to chapels built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. This seems to be an evidence of the relationship between Ratchaburi province and the political power and culture of King Jayavarman VII. This certifies that Ratchaburi province should be synonymous with the name Mueang Srichai Ratchaburi in the Preah Khan Inscription, Cambodia to where King Jayavarman VII had sent the statue of Pra Chaiya Buddha Mahanat.

1 Prasat Kumpanglang, Phetchaburi

2. Prasat Muang Sing, Kanchanaburi

ปติสร เพ็ญสุต. ศิลปกรรมและสถาปัตยกรรมในเขตพุทธาวาสวัดมหาธาตุวรวิหาร ราชบุรี. วิทยานิพนธ์ปริญญาศิลปศาสตรมหาบัณฑิต สาขาวิชาประวัติศาสตร์ศิลปะ ภาควิชาประวัติศาสตร์ศิลปะ บัณฑิตวิทยาลัย มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร, 2555.