Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat - Phra Buddha Jinarat

The very eye-catching centerpiece is a statue of Phra Buddha Jinarat ("the victorious king"), a master work in the late Sukhothai style and cast in bronze aound 1350. It shows a seated Buddha in the gesture of invocation with a finely chased aureole in front of a dark blue background, embellished with stylized gold flowers and hovering forms. Several copies of this statue have been made; one of the last, commissioned by King Chulalongkorn, can be found in Wat Benchamabo-bitr in Bangkok. According to legend, at the time when Phitsanulok became the main town and the viceroy moved into it, this statue wept tears of blood. Not least because of this it is held in great esteem by local people. Some of the statues of Buddha surrounding the central figure are very beautiful. The elaborately carved teak pulpits are also of note. The larger one is used by a group of monks when singing Buddhist Pali texts, while texts in the Thai language are read out from the smaller one.

The terrace, from which the prang rises, borders the wiharn. Steps lead to the reliquary. The gallery around the prang is filled with numerous attractive statues of Buddha in the Sukhothai, U Thong and Chiang Mai/Chiang Saen styles, as well as wood carvings and Chinese and Thai ceramics. Other buildings, including the bot, adjoin the gallery.

By leaving the temple grounds via the main exit and walking round to the rear of them the giant statue of a standing Buddha and two other, modern statues of Buddha can be seen.