The temple was built in 1353 AD (715 CS) by King Ramathibodi I at the royal
residence of "Wiang Lek", the site where he first settled before establishing Ayutthaya as
the capital city in 1350. The temple was constructed after his elder brother (the ruler of
Suphan) defeated the Khmers and brought them back under the control of Ayutthaya in
1352. The temple was likely built by the large number of enslaved Khmer inhabitants
forcibly removed from Angkor to Ayutthaya at that time. The monastery was one of the
first temples constructed and had a preaching hall and a great holy reliquary.
The old temple complex was enclosed by an outer wall measuring 192 meters in length
and 92 meters in width. The vihara has its entry to the east and measures 48 meters in
length and 16 meters in width. The main Khmer-style prang is surrounded by a square
cloister. The cloister is enclosed by an outer wall, which along with the pillars inside
supports the roof. The floor of the terrace is one step higher than the court. The inner
wall of the cloister houses rows of Buddha images on decorated bases. Porticos lead
into the gallery of seated Buddha's.
The prang, representing the cosmic Mount Meru, is located in the middle of the ancient
compound and is built on an indented pedestal protruding towards the north and south,
resulting in a wing-like formation, which was characteristic for prangs of the early
Ayutthaya period. The "cella" or central small hall inside the prang, can be accessed
through a porch, located in the east and only by climbing stairs. The prang has two
staircases on the east and the west side. Over the cubic "cella" rises the central tower,
the bud-shaped prang. The "cella" houses a Buddha image. Decorations of the ceilings of
the porch and "cella" are still visible.
There are two satellite buildings, being a mondop to the north and the south of the main
prang containing Buddha images. The difference between Khmer built prangs and
Ayutthaya prangs is that the first tapers off stepwise (in tiers of decreasing size), while
the latter tapers off gradually in a smooth way. Ayutthaya prangs were mostly built with
bricks and covered with stucco. On its pinnacle was a Trishul, the "weapon of Indra".
Major restoration work includes the principal prang, which was renovated in the
Ratanakosin period during King Chulalongkorn’s (Rama V) reign around 1898-99 AD.