Wat Ratchaburana

Wat Ratchaburana was built in 1424 by King Borommarachathirat II following his ascension to the throne. The temple was constructed on the exact spot where his two older brothers fought a duel to the death over the royal succession. The new king built the temple to commemorate them and gain religious merit.

Beyond its dark founding story, Wat Ratchaburana is famous for its massive main prang, which is one of the best-preserved in the Ayutthaya Historical Park. Additionally, in 1957, looters famously broke into the temple's crypt and stole a massive hoard of ancient royal gold artifacts. The subsequent police investigation led to the discovery of incredible, surviving early Ayutthaya murals inside the prang.

The temple is located in the center of Ayutthaya, Thailand, which was the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom until it was destroyed in 1767. It sits directly on the island formed by the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak, and Lopburi rivers. Today, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Historic City of Ayutthaya.

The temple's centerpiece is a towering, corncob-shaped prang built in the early Khmer style, symbolizing Mount Meru. This main prang is surrounded by smaller chedis and the remains of large ordination halls. The structure is unique because it contains a steep internal staircase leading down into a crypt decorated with faded Buddhist murals.