*3.1. Cultural Heritage Sites: Wat Maha That, Thailand*

The Wat Maha That site, including the site of the studied pagoda, is located at Ayutthaya, which was historically one of Thailand's capitals and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is located 85 km directly north of Bangkok. A historical park forms an important part of the city and is home to several culturally significant ancient temples. The historical park was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1991. This was justified under criteria III, which held that the site could be deemed an excellent witness to a period in which a true national form of Thai art was developed [29].

As shown in Figure 1, Wat Maha That is situated east of the Ayutthaya Island. It was a temple that held royal status and was considered the most sacred during the Ayutthaya period. The main Mahathat Chedi (bell-shaped pagoda) and Mahathat Prang (towering corn-cob pagoda) pagodas (Figure 2) contain relics from Buddha. At one point in history, these were temples where the Supreme Patriarch (head of the order of Buddhist monks in Thailand) resided.

**Figure 1.** Aerial overview of the study area, Wat Maha That, Ayutthaya Island, Ayutthaya Province. (**a**) Map of Thailand. (**b**) Map of Ayutthaya Province. (**c**) Study area in Wat Maha That.

The Ayutthaya Chronicle [29] reported that the construction of the Mahathat Chedi commenced in 1374 during the reign of Phra Borom Rajathirat I and was completed under the reign of King Ramesuan. The foundation of the pagoda collapsed during the reign of King Song Tham, but was later reconstructed under King Prasat Thong's reign. Finally, the temple was destroyed and burned during the Burmese invasion in 1767 and has since been left in ruins.

**Figure 2.** Pagodas at Wat Maha That. (**a**) Prang structure. (**b**) Chedi structure.
