Wat Chang Rop (also “Rob”) is a large temple situated on a high hill. Its main chedi of Ceylonese style is in the middle of the yard but its top part is broken down. The base is adorned with 68 half-elephants between which are Bhoti-shaped designs. There are also traces of demon and female dancers’ figures remaining.
The centerpiece of the temple is the chedi which once featured the frontquarters of 68 laterite elephants rendered in fine detail with an outer coating of stucco. The motif of building chedi that were “supported” by elephants was a common Sukhothai-era design practice, with similar (though smaller) examples still visible including Wat Sorasek and Wat Chang Rob at Sukhothai, and Wat Chang Lom at Si Satchanalai. The design was originally a Sri-Lankan invention which probably arrived in Sukhothai in the 14th century following religious and trading contacts between the two kingdoms.
