Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan (or Phra Mahathat monastery), located in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in Peninsular Thailand on a narrow ridge between the Pacific and Indian oceans, has served as a major regional Buddhist centre since its founding in the 8th century. Benefiting from the transoceanic trade networks, the monastery was influenced by various religious and architectural traditions including Brahmanism, Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism from northeastern India, central Java, Sri Lanka and the Mon region of southern Myanmar. These influences have been integrated into its religious buildings, rituals and cultural traditions. Its distinctive artistic and architectural expressions have exerted a wide-ranging and enduring influence throughout Thailand and across Southeast Asia. The religious and local traditions have continued at the monastery for more than 1,500 years, including the Nakhon Si Thammarat chronicle tradition, the annual cloth-wrapping ceremony for the Great Reliquary and the Nora dance drama.