Wat (a term in Thai of Temple) Mahathat was situated to the east of the Royal Palace during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. In the present time, this temple is a part of the Ayutthaya Historical Park comprises of the ruins of temples and palaces.
As mentioned in the Historical Records of Luang Prasert, it was built during the reign of King Borommarachathiraj I in 1917 B.E. The Prang (cone-shaped tower) of this temple was built of laterite before it collapsed to the Garuda layer during the reign of King Songtham. It was not restored until the reign of King Prasartthong in 2176 B.E. then it was restored and extended using bricks, timber and plaster. However its dome collapsed again and remains porch base nowadays.
In 2499 B.E., Fine Arts Department excavated the evocative ruins at Wat Mahathat and found a cache containing many antiques, precious stones, and especially the Relics of Buddha which was well preserved in the silver and bronze stupas.
The highlight when visiting this ancient temple is to explore the unseen of the Buddha head embedded in a Banyan tree in a wall of sanctuary not too far from the entrance of this temple.