柴瓦塔那兰寺—泰国寺院

　　泰国柴瓦塔那兰寺（Wat Chai Watthanaram）
　　柴瓦塔那兰寺(Wat Chai Watthanaram)的壮观直逼玛哈泰寺，尤其是夜晚打上灯光，庄严肃穆的气氛令人凛然。
　　白天的柴瓦塔那兰寺同样撼人心神，象征须弥山的塔聚集游客赞叹的目光。塔群的中央是一座高棉式的大塔，四周有4个小塔， 再外围则有8个更小的塔及门， 全部位于同一座地基上，建议你可以先在远方欣赏整体的气势，再登塔游览细部。
　　Prasatthong王于西1630年建此塔， 一般认为这是他的老家，而他建此塔是为了荣耀他的母亲， 也有一说是为了纪念他打败高棉，所以此寺模仿吴哥寺的建筑。
　　巍峨的13座高塔由120尊坐佛围绕， 8个小塔中另端坐着12尊大佛，让人不论走到那都肃然起敬。耸立的高棉大塔似乎有种魔力， 吸引瞻仰的人爬上塔一探究竟，但是阶梯非常的狭窄陡峭， 胆小的人恐怕上得去，却不敢下来。
　　柴瓦塔那兰寺属于皇室宗庙， 所以几乎每位国王都修过此寺，也都在此举行火葬，艾尤塔雅沦陷后， 这里还曾作为军营，所以泰人都说这里晚上的鬼闹得很凶， 虽然夜晚不开放，但还是有许多人来这里欣赏夜景，如果你想夜访一试胆量，请特别留意虫、蛇出没。
　　The temple was constructed in 1630 by the king Prasat Thong as the first temple of his reign, as a memorial of his mother's resident in that area. The temple's name literally means the Temple of long reign and glorious era. It was designed in Khmer style which was popular in that time.
　　It has a central 35 meter high prang in Khmer style with four smaller prangs. The whole construction stands on a rectangular platform. About halfway up there are hidden entrances, to which steep stairs lead.
　　The central platform is surrounded by eight chedi-shaped chapels which are connected by a rectangular cross-shaped passage Rabieng). The passage had numerous side entries and was originally roofed and open inwards, but today only the foundations of the pillars and the outside wall still stand. Along the wall, there were 120 sitting Buddha statues, probably painted in black and gold.
　　The eight chedi-like chapels are formed in a unique way. They had paintings on the interior walls, the exterior ones decorated by 12 reliefs depicting scenes from the life of Buddha (Jataka), which must be "read" clockwise. Just fragments of the paintings and the reliefs survived. In each of the rectangular chedis were two sitting Buddha statues and in each of the four middle chedis was one big sitting Buddha statue, also lacquered in black and gold. The ceiling over those statues was of wood with golden stars on black lacquer.
　　Outside of the passages on the east, close to the river was the temple's ordination hall (Phra Ubosot). North and south from the Ubusot stood two chedis with "12 indented corners which the ashes of the king's mother were laid.
　　After the total destruction of the old capital by the Burmese in 1767, from which Wat Chai Watthanaram was not spared, the temple was deserted. Theft, sale of bricks from the ruins and the beheading of the Buddha statues were common. Only in 1987 did the Thai Department of Fine Arts started restoring the site. In 1992 it was opened to the public.