Consecrated by rich history and exalted by the faith of its local community, Wat Prayurawongsawas (known colloquially as Wat Prayoon) inspires awe with the grandeur of its towering Phra Borommathat Maha Chedi (principal stupa), whose pleasing bell-shaped proportions find glorifying aesthetic resonance in the 18 subsidiary stupas that punctuate the encircling gallery.
“This chedi is one of a kind in Thailand,” says Phra Brahmapundit, abbot of Wat Prayoon, as he sits serenely in the temple’s ubosot (ordination hall), against the impressive backdrop of a golden Buddha that remains resplendent with gilding adroitly executed almost two centuries ago.
The chedi’s most distinctive feature is its accessible interior space, where one can marvel at the massive central pillar of about 20m in height and 144 tonnes in weight. When construction began in 1828, under the reign of…
