The King Naresuan the Great Monument

This bronze equestrian statue at the entrance to Wat Phu Khao Thong, on the northwest edge of Ayutthaya’s old city, was raised in 1999 to honour King Naresuan the Great. It depicts a specific moment from his 16th-century campaigns against Burma — not, as often assumed, his famous elephant-back duel with the Burmese crown prince, which has its own separate monument at Don Chedi in Suphan Buri. Entry is free and there’s no gate to close.

The statue shows Naresuan on horseback, sword raised, in the pose commemorating his killing of Lak Wai Thammu — a Hongsawadi commander — in the fighting that followed his declaration of Ayutthayan independence from Burmese vassalage. Around the base, eleven bas-relief panels work through key episodes of his reign: the independence declaration at Khraeng, the wall-climbing raid where he reportedly carried a blade in his teeth, and the long-range shot across the Sittaung River that Thai histories credit to him. Information plaques in Thai and English cover the same ground for visitors unfamiliar with the period.

The setting is a plain white stone courtyard rather than a temple compound — open, shadeless, and quiet outside of school groups and the occasional wreath-laying visit. It works best as a 15-20 minute stop rather than a destination in its own right, best combined with the adjacent Wat Phu Khao Thong chedi, which predates the statue by centuries and gives the visit more to look at beyond the monument itself.

Insider Tip: Pair this stop with Wat Phu Khao Thong’s chedi right next to it — the temple’s viewing platform gives a rice-field panorama that the monument courtyard itself doesn’t offer.

Watch out: There’s minimal shade around the statue and courtyard. Midday visits in the hot season get uncomfortable fast — go early morning or late afternoon.

About 2.5 km south, Phra Chedi Sisuriyothai honours Queen Suriyothai from the same period of conflict — a natural second stop. Back in the historical park, Wat Phra Si Sanphet covers the royal temple complex Naresuan himself would have known.