The temple was founded by King Songtham, King of the Ayutthaya Kingdom during the early 17th century. According to legend, the King sent out monks to Sri Lanka to pay tribute to the footprints of the Buddha there. Upon arrival, the monks were told that the Buddha had also travelled through Thailand and that there should be footprints in their own country. On the monks’ return, the King ordered his people to search for the footprints of the Buddha in his Kingdom.