A quick note on these photo galleries. As with all of our galleries, this one is laid out chronologically, and "tells a story" from beginning to end. To view the gallery as a slide show, click a button on the left, give it a few minutes to pre-load the images (given time, the page will pre-load all images) and then click the right hand side of the large image pane to progress through the photos.  
 
Temple Terminology  
 
Wat A temple, which may include not only congregation halls, but also a monastery, school rooms and sports grounds. Note that in Thai, the term wat may be applied to any religious center, so Christian churches and Muslim mosques may also be referred to as wats.  
 
Ubosot The ordination hall, where new monks are ordained and other important ceremonies take place. The ubosot is not necessarily the largest building in a temple compound, and may not always be open to the public. In fact, the ubosot is supposed to be off limits at all times to women, but this rule is seldom enforced. The ubosot will always have an alter with at least one Buddha image.  
 
Wiharn A building to house important buddha images and are where the laity come to pray. While there will always only be one ubosot in a wat, there can be several Wiharn.  
 
Chedi Sometimes translated as stupa or even pagoda. This generally bell-shaped tower will usually contain a relic of the Buddha, but may also be built to contain the ashes of a king or important monk. Those who can afford it may also build smaller, typically square-shaped, ones for their own final resting place. The bell-shaped chedi evolved during the golden age of Ayutthaya.  
 
Prang A more phallic-shaped tower that will be in the center of Ayutthaya and khmer-style temples. The prang is typically described as a "corn-cob" shape. Prangs can be found all over Ayutthaya.