Wat Mae Nang Pluem: A Quiet Ayutthaya Temple with a Royal Legend
Wat Mae Nang Pluem is an ancient temple in Ayutthaya dating back to the time of King Naresuan the Great, with a touching legend and still few visitors.
Meeting Point Management Team
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Quick answer
Wat Mae Nang Pluem is an ancient temple in Ayutthaya. Legend says King Naresuan built it for Mae Pluem, an old woman who sheltered him one rainy night. Highlights are the bell-shaped chedi ringed by lion sculptures and the Luang Pho Khao Buddha in the vihara. The Fine Arts Department registered it as a national monument on 25 July 1995.
Key takeaways
- An ancient temple from the reign of King Naresuan, featured in the Legend of King Naresuan films
- The story comes from the chronicle written by Dutch merchant Jeremias van Vliet
- The main bell-shaped chedi is ringed by stucco lions, a rare design
- The vihara houses Luang Pho Khao, an Ayutthaya-period Buddha image
- Registered as a national monument on 25 July 1995; shady and peaceful
Wat Mae Nang Pluem is an ancient temple dating back to the reign of King Naresuan the Great. If you visit Ayutthaya, it is well worth going inside, and not many people know about it yet. Let's step back in time.
If you have seen the film series The Legend of King Naresuan, Wat Mae Nang Pluem may look familiar, because a scene about it appears in the films.
The story comes from a chronicle of Ayutthaya written by Jeremias van Vliet, a Dutch merchant who managed the Dutch trading post in Ayutthaya for eight years during the reign of King Prasat Thong, and who wrote two books about Ayutthaya that were published in Europe.
The legend of Mae Pluem
According to the story, Mae Pluem was a villager who lived alone by the water on the edge of the capital, with no children or relatives. One rainy night, King Naresuan was rowing a boat alone. Seeing a hut with a lamp still burning, he stopped and went in.
Seeing a strong young man in wet clothes, Mae Pluem kindly invited him in. But he spoke loudly, as a warrior would, and she warned him: "My son, don't be so loud. It is late, and if the king hears you he will be angry."
He answered even more loudly that he wanted to drink liquor because he was wet and cold and needed to warm up. Mae Pluem was alarmed again, because it was a Buddhist holy day. She told him that if he really had to drink, he must promise not to let anyone know, or the king would find out and they would be in danger.
King Naresuan promised, so she gave him a drink. He stayed the night at her house until morning and then returned to the palace.
The next day, the king ordered a royal barge with a small pavilion, the kind used by the queen mother or queen in ceremonies, to be sent to the old woman's house, along with the clothes he had worn that night. His pages were told to show her the clothes and bring her to the palace. When she saw royal pages arriving, she shook with fear, thinking the king had heard what happened at her house. Even after they explained why they had come, she did not believe she would survive. She begged them to tell the king she had already died a miserable death, and tried to save herself by seeking refuge with the monks. The pages paid no attention; when she refused to come, they gently took hold of her, dressed her, and brought her by boat to the palace.
When she was brought before him, King Naresuan came and took her hand, telling her that he was the man who had stayed at her house and whom she had cared for so well. He said: "In a hard time you accepted me as your child. From now on I will call you mother and love you dearly." He ordered quarters in the palace for her and had her cared for like his own mother. When she died, he held a cremation for her as grand as that of a queen.
After the funeral, he built a temple for her, named Wat Mae Nang Pluem. Its principal Buddha image is Luang Pho Khao, which is very beautiful. The temple also has a bell-shaped chedi surrounded by lions, an architectural and artistic style that is very rare today. The Fine Arts Department registered it as a national historic site on 25 July 1995.
Historic structures in the temple
The main structure is the bell-shaped chedi, which shows traces of three restorations. Around its base are stucco lions, which may be an adaptation of the elephant-ringed chedi design popular in Sukhothai art. The vihara, east of the main chedi, is a brick building housing Luang Pho Khao, the principal Ayutthaya-period Buddha image, with signs of modern restoration. The ordination hall has gables decorated with various kinds of ceramics, and its boundary stones (sema) date from the Rattanakosin period.
The temple grounds are shady and very peaceful, like stepping back in time, yet few people come to see it. We think it is one of the places you should add to your Ayutthaya trip.
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FAQ
What is the legend of Wat Mae Nang Pluem?
King Naresuan, rowing alone in the rain, stopped at the hut of Mae Pluem, an old woman living alone, who looked after him. He later brought her to live in the palace as his mother, gave her a royal funeral when she died, and built this temple in her name.
What can you see at Wat Mae Nang Pluem?
A bell-shaped main chedi ringed by stucco lions, a vihara housing the Luang Pho Khao Buddha, and an ordination hall with ceramic-decorated gables and Rattanakosin-period boundary stones.
Is Wat Mae Nang Pluem a registered historic site?
Yes, the Fine Arts Department registered it as a national monument on 25 July 1995.
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