Wat Mahathat (Phetchabun)
| Native Name | วัดมหาธาตุ, វត្តមហាថាត |
|---|---|
| BA# | T67010 |
| CISARK# | 2858 |
| K Inscription | K.498 |
| Inscr. Location | In situ (?) |
| Size | Small |
| Condition | Ruin |
| Type | Temple |
| Location | |
| Commune | Nai Muang |
| District | Muang Phetchabun |
| Province | Phetchabun |
| Country | Thailand |
| Coordinates | 16.42081, 101.15492 |
| History | |
| Material | Laterite |
Wat Mahathat (วัดมหาธาตุ - Pronounced: Wot Ma-ha-tat)
The provincial capital's largest and most prestigious Buddhist temple has a central location in Phetchabun city, some 500m west of the San Lak Muang (Phetchabun) or city pillar shrine. The wat grounds feature 2 old brick chedis which probably date to the Sukhothai era as well as the ruins of a 3rd chedi - of unknown date - which is situated atop a laterite platform. The latter is also impossible to date but appears older than the brick chedis and may possibly correspond to the foundations of a Khmer period shrine. While the wat is listed on the CISARK website, the antiquity of the laterite platform requires verification.
The wat is also listed on the aforementioned website as being the location of inscription K.498 - 2 sandstone (?) fragments revealing ancient Khmer text dating to the 9th or 10th centuries. We assume that the inscriptions were deposited at the wat - and possibly originate from Si Thep - although this is unclear and also requires verification, as does the present whereabouts of the artefact. (This inscription is not listed on the SAC website.) The justification for the CISARK listing then may be the inscribed artefact and/or the laterite platform while it is also conceivable that there are, or were, additional artefacts at the wat that we are unaware of.
Update: We recently came across a statue in the Chiang Mai National Museum which listed Wat Mahathat, Phetchabun as its provenance. The well-preserved, bronze seated Buddha is in a 12th-century style and was donated to the Chiang Mai Museum, along with various other artefacts, by the Bangkok National Museum. Of course, it then remains to be ascertained as to whether the statue had been actually unearthed at Wat Mahathat or found elsewhere and deposited at the wat before being transferred to Bangkok. Consequently, the presence of a 12th-century Khmer sanctuary on the site of Wat Mahthat is possible but unconfirmed.
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Meditating Buddha, bronze, 12th century
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