Phetchaburi - Wat Mahathat

Wat Mahathat on the market place dates from the Ayutthaya period but was not completed until the 19th c. The scenery here is dominated by a tall Khmer-style prang, to which a gatehouse has been added, and the three smaller prangs grouped around it. Several beautiful statues of Buddha stand in the encircling gallery. The exterior of the large wiharn is decorated with stucco, while the interior has restored wall paintings and several statues of seated Buddhas, of which the very top one on the Ayutthaya-style altar is particularly noteworthy. Very beautiful stucco also embellishes the small building next to the wiharn in a separate courtyard.