Pratu Chong Kut & Wat Rattana Chai (Wat Chin) - Last City Gate & Chinese Temple Ayutthaya Thailand

Wat Ratana Chai (Wat Jin) วัดร้ตนชัย

This active temple is located on the city island. This monastery is more commonly known under the name of Wat Jin (Chin) today, because many Chinese migrated to this part of the city. Wat Ratana Chai is located near the Pa Sak River, which makes it prone to seasonal flooding.

As an active monastery, Wat Ratanachai has all the basic architecture structures of a
Buddhist temple in Thailand. Nearly all of these architectural structures date to the Ratanakosin
period. The sermon hall also dates back to the
Ayutthaya Kingdom. A well-preserved pointed vault gate (Pratu Chong Kut) is next to Wat Ratana Chai. To visit it, you must enter the school west of this temple.

Wat Ratana Chai was located near three fortresses: Pom Phet, Pom Racha Clu, and
Pom Ho Rachakru. This area was very important for foreign trade during the Ayutthaya period because a major boat dock and many warehouses were nearby. A large, maritime, Chinese community lived and traded around this temple as well.

Pratu Chong Kut (last remaining city gate)

Ayutthaya contains the words Maha Nagara Dvaravati in its full Sanskrit name, what can be translated as "Great City with Gates" (from dvar "door gate"), this to
illustrate the importance given to its gates.

King Maha Thammaracha (reign 1569-1590 AD) ordered the construction of new brick walls replacing the stockades around the city under the pretext of a threat from Cambodia. These new walls were extended to the river banks around 1580 AD.

The City of Ayutthaya is surrounded by the waters of what at that time was known as the Mae Nam. It had two kind of gates: land and water gates.
Water gates stood at the entry and exit of the canals running through the city, while land gates gave access to the city's main streets.

Old documents describe that there were 12 water gates, 11 land gates (with Pratu Chai it would
be twelve) and 12 great forts. This is believed to be related to the zodiac signs.

In the mid-18th century, the city walls of Ayutthaya consisted of palaces, small and large forts and proper thick brick walls, pierced by archways and gates. Today not much remains of the city walls, as the walls and the forts were dismantled so their bricks could be shipped
to Bangkok for local construction purposes.

The temple and the only remaining city gate are interesting to see if you are a history lover.

Enjoy the video!

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