King Rama I intended to make his new capital of Rattanakosin as grand as Ayutthaya; he started by calling on architects from the former capital to build a temple as grand as Wat Phanon Choeng which was Ayutthaya’s largest temple. Precise planning from the beginning earned it praise as “the most finely proportioned temple.” Wat Suthat also contains some of the most excellent examples of Thai Buddhist art and architecture outside of a museum. Wat Suthat was intended to not only mark the heart of Bangkok, but also to mark the center of the universe. In fact, the name “suthat” denotes Suthatsa Nakhon, the celestial city of Indra which sits at the top of the mythical Mount Meru.