The Golden buddha of Wat Phrayao appears to have been moved from the Royal temple Phra Sri san Phet during the reign of  King U-Tompon or as people called him “Khun Laung Ha Wat”, the 32nd ruler of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. He ruled for only 2 months in 1758 following the death of his father King Borommakoj. Behind the scenes his brother; Prince Ekkatat bolstered by his mother schemed to have the throne for himself and eventually U-Tompon capitulated, abdicating the throne.  He was  ordained as a monk at Wat Ayothaya before taking his place at Wat Pradoo Rongtham. In the following year during a new invasion by the Burmese, U-Tompon was asked to return to the throne to lead the defense of Ayutthaya he accepted and personally lead his army into battle against the Burmese and their own King Arlong Phaya.

        During the battle a canon shell hit the royal Throne room Suriyas Amarin; the palace of King Ekkathat, and the building collapsed. This caused panic among the civilians but during the battle the Burmese King Arlon Phaya was himself injured by Thai canon fire and his army withdrew from the battlefield, he died 19 days later.

         After the conflict King U-Tompon again handed rule to his brother Ekkathat and returned to Buddhist devotion, but before doing so he requested the Removal of the Golden Buddha to Wat Pradoo Rongtham; currently called Wat Pradoo Songtham,  which was renamed by King Rama IV around 150 years ago. This temple is outside of Ayutthaya city and there are many other ancient temples in the same area such as Wat Ayothaya, Wat Samanagot, and Wat Kudeedao. It's believed that this area was the location of Ayothaya city and Wat Ayothaya was part  of the original royal district.  These temples were there before Ayutthaya city became  the capital.

        Because Wat Pradoo Rongtham is isolated from the city, it is good for meditation. This temple was very famous in late Ayutthaya period and is where most members of the Royal Family were ordained as Buddhist Monks including King U-Tompon.

Move to Amphur Uthai
        Between 1765- 1767 the Burmese army  again invaded Ayutthaya but this time they succeeded in destroying the Royal city as well as objects sacred to the Thais, including manuscripts, temples and religious sculpture. The cities inhabitants fled and former King U-Tompon, now a monk, sought refuge at Wat Rachapradit, a temple in the Royal district. It's believed that at this time the Golden Buddha was completely covered with plaster to conceal it from the enemy and  moved away from the city to a more remote location; Amphur Uthai, near Ayutthaya. U-tompon was captured and taken to Burma where he died wearing monks robes. The Golden Buddha was neglected and forgotten for over 100 years in its anonymous casing of plaster.

         In 1877, during the reign of King Rama V, the people of Salathai village, Amphur Sao Hai, Saraburi built a temple and named it Wat U-Tidsamosorn. After they finished the construction, the villagers needed a large principal Buddha image to worship. They had heard about the Buddha at the now-discarded temple in Amphur U-Thai, Ayutthaya, and they decided to move it to Wat Utid- Samoson near Saraburi over the Pasak river by boat.

        In 1935, the region around Wat Utid-Samosorn faced a severe drought and most inhabitants left to find arable land elsewhere. The Buddha was again abandoned  until 1941, during the Greater East Asia War, when Wat Phayao was looking for a bigger principal Buddha to replace the old one.

Revealing the Golden Buddha at Wat Prayao, Saraburi
        In 1950, Phra Thep Vimolmolee, monk dean of Saraburi saw that the beautiful Buddha at Wat Phayao was cracking and peeling, and asked the statue to be repaired. During the repair process the Golden Buddha inside was revealed and the external casing was immediately removed. The Golden Buddha, now named 'Luang Phor Thong Kham' had been discovered after being abandoned for 180 years and had taken its rightful place as center of worship in a permanent and peaceful setting. 

        The Golden Buddha of Wat Phayao and Wat Traimit were both rediscovered after centuries.  Originally both Golden Buddha were covered in lacquer and plaster to conceal them from invading  enemies. The Big Golden Buddha had been installed as the principal Buddha Image in the main temple building of Choti-naram Temple or Wat Phrayakrai, Yannawa District, Bangkok in the third reign of the Chakkri Dynasty in the Ratanakosin era.

        When Chotanaram temple was deserted in about 1931, the East Asiatic Company, extended its operations into the area of the deserted temple and the Ecclesiastical Commission moved the Statue to its present location in Traimit Witthayaram Temple. In 1955, supposedly after the five and half ton effigy fell from a crane and dislodged part of its plaster covering while being moved, it was discovered that it was made of gold.  It stands 15' 9” tall and is the largest solid gold Buddha in the world, the gold alone worth around $61 million.

The Golden Buddha @ Wat Phra Yao

Who made the Golden Buddha of Wat Phayao?

The Golden Buddha’s Appearance