…is Wat Chaiwatthanaram which, just 8 months before my visit in mid-2012, was reportedly soaked in muddy flood water for over 30 days.
Despite the temple’s inadequate flood protection measures, it survived the event and the site was since closed to the public. Earlier this year, the U.S. Embassy and the Ambassadors Fund awarded an additional US$700,000 to aid the ongoing conservation activities at the temple. World Monuments Fund partners the local authorities to help in this 2-year phase of work.
Soon Wat Chaiwatthanaram will be restored and more importantly, fortified to withstand future flood attacks. And this pleases me because it remains to me the most beautiful of all the Ayutthaya temples.
Kenneth J 