Thailand, Ayutthaya – Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon (00:00:49)

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, the “Monastery of the Auspicious Victory”, is located to the southeast of Ayutthaya and is one of the first of the city’s temples that can be seen as one travels north from Bangkok. According to legend, the temple was founded by none other than King Rama Thibodi I (r. 1350-69), otherwise known as U Thong–the pseudo-mythical founder of Ayutthaya. According to the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya, the King ordered the exhumation of two cholera victims who were princes known as ‘Chao Keo’ and ‘Chao Thai’. After cremating their remains, the king established a temple here named Wat Pa Keo (the Monastery of the Crystal Forest) and had a chedi and viharn constructed in their honor.