Founded in 1374 by King Borommarachathirat I, Wat Mahathat was the spiritual epicenter of the Ayutthaya Kingdom — a 417-year empire that controlled maritime Southeast Asia. The temple's iconic Buddha head, slowly consumed over centuries by the roots of a Bodhi tree, has become one of archaeology's most photographed images. The prang (Khmer-style tower) once rose to 50 meters before its 1633 collapse. Excavations in 1956 uncovered a gold casket containing relics inside the main prang's crypt. At a 296.74° Giza bearing, the temple sits on the same azimuth band as the great Khmer temple complexes, suggesting a shared Southeast Asian alignment tradition extending from Angkor to the Chao Phraya basin.
WikipediaStellar Alignments (89 stars)
| Star ▴ | Rise Az ▴ | Rise Δ ▴ | Set Az ▴ | Set Δ ▴ | Tradition ▴ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleiades (Alcyone) | 87.1° | — | 272.9° | — | |
| Orion's Belt (Alnilam) | 105.0° | — | 255.0° | — | |
| Sirius | 111.5° | — | 248.5° | — | |
| Thuban | — | — | — | — | |
| Vega | 45.6° | — | 314.4° | — | |
| Regulus | 65.2° | — | 294.8° | — | |
| Aldebaran | 92.0° | — | 268.0° | — | |
| Antares | 97.3° | — | 262.7° | — | |
| Fomalhaut | 136.0° | — | 224.0° | — | |
| Arcturus | 42.8° | — | 317.2° | — | |
| Galactic Center (Sgr A*) | 105.1° | — | 254.9° | — | |
| Galactic Anti-Center | 74.9° | — | 285.1° | — | |
| Deneb | 52.1° | — | 307.9° | — | |
| Capella | 60.0° | — | 300.1° | — | |
| Castor | 62.0° | — | 298.0° | — | |
| Pollux | 64.4° | — | 295.6° | — | |
| Procyon | 85.3° | — | 274.7° | — | |
| Betelgeuse | 95.0° | — | 265.0° | — | |
| Rigel | 113.7° | — | 246.3° | — | |
| Bellatrix | 98.6° | — | 261.4° | — | |
| Achernar | — | — | — | — | |
| Acrux | 131.9° | — | 228.1° | — | |
| Mimosa | 127.9° | — | 232.1° | — | |
| Altair | 81.2° | — | 278.8° | — | |
| Kochab | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubhe | 12.4° | — | 347.6° | — | |
| Alkaid | 9.0° | — | 351.0° | — | |
| Mizar | — | — | — | — | |
| Hamal | 90.2° | — | 269.8° | — | |
| Zubenelgenubi | 82.5° | — | 277.4° | — | |
| Alnitak | 105.3° | — | 254.7° | — | |
| Mintaka | 104.5° | — | 255.5° | — | |
| Saiph | 112.2° | — | 247.8° | — | |
| Peacock | 144.9° | — | 215.1° | — | |
| Miaplacidus | 146.9° | — | 213.1° | — | |
| Rigil Kentaurus | 129.9° | — | 230.1° | — | |
| Hadar | 127.9° | — | 232.1° | — | |
| Gacrux | 125.3° | — | 234.7° | — | |
| Naos | 126.7° | — | 233.3° | — | |
| Suhail | 123.8° | — | 236.2° | — | |
| Avior | 142.2° | — | 217.8° | — | |
| Atria | 140.6° | — | 219.4° | — | |
| Regor | 132.7° | — | 227.3° | — | |
| Alsephina | 136.1° | — | 223.9° | — | |
| Shaula | 112.0° | — | 248.0° | — | |
| Ankaa | 156.4° | — | 203.6° | — | |
| Menkent | 102.3° | — | 257.7° | — | |
| Alpheratz | 82.0° | — | 278.0° | — | |
| Eltanin | 29.7° | — | 330.3° | — | |
| Kornephoros | 49.5° | — | 310.5° | — | |
| Rasalhague | 63.5° | — | 296.5° | — | |
| Denebola | 54.2° | — | 305.8° | — | |
| Alhena | 82.3° | — | 277.7° | — | |
| Alphard | 89.0° | — | 271.0° | — | |
| Bharani | 93.0° | — | 267.0° | — | |
| Pushya | 67.6° | — | 292.4° | — | |
| Adhara | 123.3° | — | 236.7° | — | |
| Wezen | 119.8° | — | 240.2° | — | |
| Navi | 51.2° | — | 308.8° | — | |
| Schedar | 55.2° | — | 304.8° | — | |
| Nunki | 108.6° | — | 251.4° | — | |
| Canopus | 148.3° | — | 211.7° | — | |
| Kaus Australis | 113.4° | — | 246.6° | — | |
| Sabik | 89.5° | — | 270.5° | — | |
| Scheat | 80.0° | — | 280.1° | — | |
| Enif | 91.4° | — | 268.6° | — | |
| Diphda | 131.9° | — | 228.1° | — | |
| Alphecca | 40.1° | — | 319.9° | — | |
| Rasalgethi | 60.3° | — | 299.7° | — | |
| Spica | 77.1° | — | 282.9° | — | |
| Zubeneschamali | 76.6° | — | 283.4° | — | |
| Unukalhai | 61.7° | — | 298.3° | — | |
| Murzim | 116.7° | — | 243.3° | — | |
| Phact | 136.3° | — | 223.7° | — | |
| Mirfak | 61.8° | — | 298.2° | — | |
| Vindemiatrix | 54.7° | — | 305.3° | — | |
| Markab | 92.6° | — | 267.4° | — | |
| Algol | 71.4° | — | 288.6° | — | |
| Sadalmelik | 103.2° | — | 256.8° | — | |
| Sadalsuud | 105.0° | — | 255.0° | — | |
| Sun (Summer Solstice) | 65.8° | — | 294.2° | — | |
| Sun (Winter Solstice) | 114.2° | — | 245.8° | — | |
| Sun (Equinox) | 90.0° | — | 270.0° | — | |
| Sun (Northern Cross-Quarter) | 73.0° | — | 287.1° | — | |
| Sun (Southern Cross-Quarter) | 107.0° | — | 252.9° | — | |
| Moon (N Major Standstill) | 60.3° | — | 299.7° | — | |
| Moon (S Major Standstill) | 119.7° | — | 240.3° | — | |
| Moon (N Minor Standstill) | 70.7° | — | 289.4° | — | |
| Moon (S Minor Standstill) | 109.3° | — | 250.7° | — |
Convergence Events (7)
297.6°
Alphecca Set
Celtic (Caer Arianrhod), Arabic, Aboriginal, Pawnee (council ring)
Δ 0.9°
298.2°
Bharani (41 Arietis) Set
Hindu/Vedic (death/rebirth nakshatra), IAU named
Δ 1.5°
294.9°
Pleiades (Alcyone) Set
Maya, Greek, Aboriginal, Hindu (Krittika), Japanese (Subaru)
Δ 1.8°
299.0°
Pollux Set
Greek (Dioscuri), Hindu (Punarvasu), Chinese, Arabic
Δ 2.3°
299.1°
Scheat Set
Hindu (Purva Bhadrapada), Arabic, Chinese, Persian
Δ 2.3°
294.3°
Hamal Set
Babylonian, Arabic (the ram), Hindu, Chinese
Δ 2.5°
294.2°
Summer Solstice Sunset
Universal
Δ 2.5°
Related Sites — Giza / Orion Extraction