Wat Chaiwatthanaram lies on the west bank of Chao Phraya River, south-west of the old city of Ayutthaya.

It was designed in Khmer style to gain Buddhist merit and as a memorial to his mother,[1] however Prince Damrong believed it was built to celebrate Ayutthaya Kingdom's victory over Longvek.

The passage had numerous side entries and was originally roofed and open inwards, but today only the foundations of the pillars and the outside wall still stand.

They had paintings on the interior walls, the exterior ones decorated by 12 reliefs depicting scenes from the life of Buddha (Jataka), which must be "read" clockwise.

North and south from the Ubusot stood two chedis with 12 indented corners, in which the ashes of the king's mother were laid.

After the total destruction of the old capital (Thai: กรุงเก่า - Krung Kao) by the Burmese in 1767, from which Wat Chai Watthanaram was not spared, the temple was deserted.