Wat Phitchaya Yatikaram Worawiharn

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Wat Phitchaya Yatikaram Worawihan, or Wat Pichai Yatikaram as it is also known, is a second class temple of the Worawihan type. There is no record of when the temple was originally built, but is likely from the period when Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam and Bangkok was largely a port for transshipment of goods to Ayutthaya. During the reign of King Rama III, Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Mahapichaiyat (That Bunnag or Lord Bunnag) who was the Phraya Sri Phiphat Rattanaratkosa, a high ranking official in the king's court, discovered the temple and decided to restore it as a favor to the king. That Bunnag had many junks that were used in trade with other countries. Therefore, most of the materials used in the construction of the temple were actually brought from China. This resulted in the temple having a distinctive Chinese architectural style. The most important features of the temple hall is that it is a small Ubosot with a roof that resembles a Chinese carriage hood and no chorfa (a finial on the roof, typical of Thai temples). The temple roof edging on both sides is made of cement shaped into dragons (which can be seen in DTHB394) with tiles as well. The roof top in the balcony is painted with flowers of various colors, the phalai pillar is made from a circular stone and on the base of the pillar are carvings of pictures from the Chinese legend "Samkok" ("The Romance of the Three Cliques"). The main entrance of the Ubosot is decorated with a water color painting of a Chinese warrior stepping on a lion. The middle door is also decorated with a water color painting of an Angel carrying a double-edged dagger and stepping on a lion. Within the Ubosot, the ceilings and columns have beautiful flower artwork. the ceiling above the main window has paintings of various heavenly trees, such as the Nari Phon tree and the Pink Cassia. Behind the Principal Buddha image is an painting of a glass arbor. The front area of the Ubosot is paved with stone pieces from China. The leaf-like boundary stone of King Rama III's reign was a double stone and the arbor for the boundary stone was designed by Thai craftsmen but the stones themselves were specially ordered to be carved in China. The Principal Buddha image is from the Sukhothai Era and is known as Phra Sittharot. The most noticeable structures of the temple are the immense Prangs at the rear of the compound. This edifice was constructed by That Bunnag to contain the ashes of his family. Inside the largest central Prang, four Buddha images look out in each of the four cardinal directions.