Overview
The temple was founded in 1448 and once held a standing Buddha 16 metres high covered in 340 kilograms of gold; the Burmese burned the image to melt the gold off it in 1767 and the fragments were later interred in a stupa in Bangkok. The three chedis were restored in the 1950s and are the most photographed silhouette in the historical park. What is left is the plan: you can walk the axis of a royal temple with nothing standing on it.
Highlights
Come at sunrise or in the last hour, when the brick goes orange and the park is empty; the middle of the day here is brutal and shadeless. The adjoining palace ruins are free to walk. The historical park is a UNESCO site and a single ticket covers six temples, which is the sensible way to buy.