---
node: spot_ayutthaya_wat_yai_chai_mongkhon
type: spot
slug: wat_yai_chai_mongkhon
destination: dest_ayutthaya
title: "Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon"
lead: "Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon is a working monastery with a 62-metre chedi that King Naresuan built in 1592 to mark a victory won in single combat on elephant-back. Rows of seated Buddhas in saffron cloth line the terrace around it."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_ayutthaya_wat_yai_chai_mongkhon.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ayutthaya_Wat_Yai_Chai_Mongkhon_2.jpg"
image_author: "Mr.Peerapong Prasutr"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

The temple was founded in 1357 for monks returning from study in Sri Lanka, and the great chedi commemorates Naresuan's defeat of the Burmese crown prince — a duel of war elephants that is a founding story of Thai independence. Unlike most of Ayutthaya this is not a ruin: monks live here, the buildings are maintained, and people come to make merit rather than to look. A reclining Buddha in white cloth lies in the outer grounds.

## Highlights

Climb the chedi steps to the terrace and look down into the hollow centre, where coins have been thrown for centuries. Dress as you would for any working temple, since that is what this is. It is outside the island to the south-east, so it pairs with Wat Chaiwatthanaram on a bicycle loop.