The Golden Buddha Image

The Golden Buddha Image resides at Wat Phra Yao. It is a Buddha image in the meditation posture measuring 110 centimetres wide at its lap, 170 centimetres high, round face, smiling lips and a flame-like spire on the head. It was constructed during the late Ayutthaya period. At the second fall of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya to Burma, the locals who immigrated from the Burmese took it along, applied black lacquer and cement to cover it, and left it at a deserted temple in Uthai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.

Then, it was taken to be the principal Buddha image at Wat Uthit Samoson before being moved again to reside at Wat Phayao. Later, a monk noticed the black lacquer in between the cement and asked the locals to remove the cement. As a result, the golden Buddha image underneath was discovered. The Fine Arts Department examined it and analysed that there is 70% gold. Therefore, the locals named it “Luangpho Thongkham” (the Golden Buddha image).