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Built by King Boromatrailokanat in 1448 in the old capital of Thailand, the three bell-shaped chedis (urns) of Wat Phra Si Sanphet have virtually become a symbol of Ayutthaya. It was supposedly one of the grandest temples in the ancient capital, and it is still one of the best conserved on the island. The temple took its name from the large standing Buddha image erected there in 1503. The image stood 16 meters (53 feet) tall and was covered with more than 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of gold. The Buddha was smashed to pieces when the Burmese sacked the city. King Rama I collected the remaining pieces and placed them in a chedi. The three large chedis were built to contain the ashes of King Boromatrailokanat and his two sons, King Ramathibodhi and King Boromatrailokanat II. They are measured distinctive of the Ayutthaya style, and several replicas of them have been built in Bangkok, including the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The three chedis were surrounded by a large cloister with lines of smaller chedis placed near the outer wall. At one end of the line formed by the three chedis are the vestiges of a smaller chapel with a now headless Buddha image. The temple was originally connected directly to the royal palace (Wang Luang), but the Burmese leveled the palace buildings right to the ground. The early Bangkok kings had most of the bricks pulled off to build the new capital.
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