Wat Si Sawai Sukhothai

Wat Si Sawai temple, also known as Wat Sri Savaya is situated in Sukhothai, Thailand. Your attention is grabbed with its regal architecture and mastery of the gods’ sculptures the moment you proceed to the temple.

The temple is encircled by a laterite wall in attractive surroundings with a big pond. The sanctuary consists of 3 big Khmer style prangs and two assembly halls.

The temple is among the oldest temples in Sukhothai. It’s believed to have been established between the 12th and 13th century before the establishment of the Sukhothai Empire.

Founded as a Hindu sanctuary

Initially the temple, built by the Khmer as a Hindu temple devoted to Shiva, consisted of 3 prangs considered to be Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma which is proof of strong hegemony of Hindu myths with the bits of sculptures of Hindu gods. The three prangs are separated by walls
Vajiravudh (Rama VI) discovered an image of the Hindu God during the early 20th century before he was King. Later the Wat Si Sawai was changed into a Buddhist temple during the Sukhothai period.

Khmer style corncob shaped prangs

The three well-maintained Khmer corncob designed prangs is the most prominent characteristic of the Wat Si Sawai temple. The middle tower is about 15 metres tall; the two other towers are a few metres smaller. The prangs shielded with white plaster are on a low base encircled by a gallery. By the end of the 12th century or early 13th century the Khmer began construction of the prangs, but left them uncompleted which were completed in the 15th century during the Ayutthaya era.
The prangs are decorated with figures of many mythical creatures such as Kala,Makaras and multi-headed Naga snakes. A number of Brahman pictures are on the towers too. A lintel figure above the entrance shows Vishnu resting on Ananta Shesha, the King of the Naga snakes. Slots in the upper portion of the prangs have Buddha’s images. A cella containing a pedestal in all 3 prangs represents the Hindu God Shiva.

Assembly halls added later

The main assembly hall is in front of the central prang. The walls of the main assembly hall are in very good condition. In front of it, outside the encircling wall, just the pillars and base of another assembly hall remain. Probably the assembly halls were added later on at the time of conversion of the temple into a Theravada Buddhist shrine. Another smaller assembly hall is outside of the laterite wall to one of the sides, of which little remains.