Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahatat Woramahawihan (Thai: วัดพระศรีรัตนมหาธาตุ, also commonly referred to as Wat Yai) is a Buddhist temple (Wat) in Phitsanulok, Thailand, where it is located on the bank of the Nan River near the Naresuan Bridge.
Wat Yai is famous throughout Thailand for its golden sculpture of the Buddha called the Phra Buddha Chinnarat (Thai: พระพุทธชินราช). Many Thai people consider the Phra Buddha Chinnarat to be the most beautiful Buddha portrait in Thailand. It depicts Buddha in the posture of overcoming Mara (Thai: ปางมารวิชัย), also called Mara submission. A stone inscription indicated that he was molded over 700 years ago by a King Mahathamaracha Lithai of Sukhothai dynasty. Several faithful copies of the Phra Buddha Chinnarat are displayed in other temples, including Wat Benchamabophit in Bangkok and Wat Saranat Thammaram in Rayong. Also, the Phra Buddha Chinnarat is depicted on the official seal of the Phitsanulok Province.
For today's visitor, the principal attraction is Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, which occupies a large compound facing the river, close to the bridge leading into the town centre. Fortunately was spared the fire that wiped out most of the town's architectural heritage and survives as a superb monument, its central gild prang in the Khmer style dominating the skyline as an unmistakable landmark.
Giving rise to the temple's fame is it s presiding Buddha image of Phra Buddha Chinnarat, which is enshrined in the main chapel and daily attracts hundreds of devotees. Such veneration of the highly revered image has had the side-effect of prompting a lively trade in religious objects and devotional souvenirs, although even this bustle cannot detract from the stunning beauty of the statue.
The brilliance of the Phra Buddha Chinnarat is paralleled by the superb interior architecture and decoration of the chapel that enshrines it. Of particular note are the main doors, which are stunningly inlaid with mother-of pearl, the amazingly detailed work making them masterpieces of this traditional form of Thai decorative art. Somewhat eclipsed by the beauty of the doors but worthy of attention are the restored mural paintings of the interior walls flanking the entrance. Depicted on the left-hand wall is the Jataka tale of Phra Vessandon Chadok, while on the right are scenes from the life of the Buddha.
Typical of northern temple architecture, the chapel is low-ceilinged -- necessitated by the deep sweep of the roof -- and the interior, painted mostly in dark red and black, is dimly lit by narrow slits along the upper walls. Everything is designed to focus attention on the presiding Buddha image, its proportions enhanced by its setting, and the pervading atmosphere evokes a feeling of profound serenity.
Packed in the extensive complex of cloisters and halls that surround the main chapel are collections of Buddha images, ceramics and other artifacts, many of which possess considerable aesthetic value but are so cluttered as to inhibit full appreciation. But this is a living temple, not a museum, and the galleries of Buddha, along with the courtyard crammed with amulet stalls, souvenir vendors and lottery sellers serving the daily throng of devotees, adds rather than detracts from a very real sense of religious practice.
To the rear of the temple compound is an open area which offers the best view of the central prang, adding during the Ayutthaya period. Also to be seen here are the remains of laterite columns, all that survives of an earlier chapel, and a tall statue of the standing Buddha, restored and rather over-enthusiastically painted.
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