Ayutthaya Historical Park
Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 by King Ramathibodi I (also known as King U-Thong) and served as Siam's (Thailand's) ancient capital for 417 years. However, it is thought to be older and was originally a Khmer settlement, according to some sources. The area was named "Ayodhya" after one of India's holiest cities. Ayutthaya was strategically located on an island that was surrounded by three rivers that connected the city to the sea. It was located above the tidal bore of the Gulf of Siam at the time, preventing it from being attacked by other nations' warships as well as seasonal flooding. Ayutthaya thrived from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Most temples in Ayutthaya were built to commemorate a victory or as a memorial to the deceased. The city was built technologically advanced for the time, it had a hydraulic water management system and systematic planning of roads, canals, and moats around all of its major structures.
Throughout its history, Siam had frequently clashed with the Burmese Kingdom. The Burmese army destroyed Ayutthaya in 1767. Fallen temples, beheaded statues, and burned records left the city in ruins. The war ended with the expulsion of the Burmese, but Ayutthaya was abandoned. It was not rebuilt till the twentieth century when it was brought back to life by the Thai government. Restoration of the ruins began in 1969 and it was later designated as Ayutthaya Historical Park in 1976 with a land area of 289 ha.
Ayutthaya is located north of Bangkok, only 75km away, about an hour and a half from Bangkok city center. You can either do a day trip or stay one night in Ayutthaya, either way, you will have enough time to cover the main sites at the historical park grounds. It is easily accessible either by bus or train from Bangkok. Once you get to Ayutthaya, outside the bus/train station, you can rent a tuk-tuk for the day to take you around the historical park.
With a total of 95 sites, Ayutthaya Historical Park is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The sites are divided into categories such as active temples, brick mounds, no trace, and restored ruins. Below are the most popular sites that are not to be missed when you’re visiting.
King Ramathibodhi I, built a monastery with a holy monument (stupa) and a preaching hall (viharn) after he lost his two princes, Chao Kaeo and Chao Thai to cholera. The King had both princes' remains exhumed and cremated in the monastery, and named it “Wat Pa Kaeo” which translates to “Monastery of the Crystal Palace”. The temple became home to Buddhist monks who ordained and trained in Ceylon. Later during the reign of King Naresuan (1590 - 1605), a large chedi was constructed at the temple. It was constructed to commemorate the King's single-handed triumph over the Burmese crown prince in one-to-one combat on war elephants. The chedi was given the name Phra Chedi Chaya Mongkhon, which led to the temple's current name, which means "Auspicious Victory”.
Visitors can climb up the entrance stairway located on the east side which leads to the inside of the 60 meters tall bell-shaped chedi. Inside the small chamber, there are several Buddha statues covered with gold leaf applied by devotees. At the northeast corner of the temple, amongst the ruins, there is a large statue of the Reclining Buddha which was constructed during the reign of King Naresuan. Unlike other reclining Buddha statues, this Buddha's eyes are fully open. Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon is still in use as a temple, the viharn is actively used by monks and devotees.
One of the most popular temples in Ayutthaya known for the stone buddha head trapped in the exposed roots of a banyan tree. It is unknown how it got there, but the most popular story is that the statue was stolen and hid under the tree to be retrieved later, but they never got around to it.
The architecture of Wat Mahathat is heavily influenced by Khmer temple architecture. Almost identical temples can be found in Angkor, where they were dubbed "Mountain Temples." Its typical design includes a tall central tower known as a Prang surrounded by four corner towers that form a quincunx surrounded by a courtyard and a gallery. Wat Mahathat has a roofed gallery that is lined with Buddha images. The temple's northwestern prang is one of the few structures that still have mural paintings from the early Ayutthaya period.
Located north of Wat Mahathat, King Borommarachathirat II (Chao Sam Phraya) constructed this temple as a cremation site for his two elder brothers who died in a duel over the royal succession of their father, King Nakhon In, who died in 1424. The two memorial pagodas were named after his brothers, Chedi Chao Ai Phraya and Chedi Chao Yi Phraya. They are built on the site where both the brothers fought each other on elephant backs. This temple has a crypt where an immense amount of treasures were stored. The crypt was looted in 1956-1957, and a large number of artifacts, including Buddha images and gold, were stolen. While the thieves were eventually apprehended, some, but not all, of the artifacts were recovered. The Fine Arts Department officially excavated and restored Wat Ratchaburana's crypt in September 1957. Surprisingly, they discovered Lord Buddha relics, swords, crowns, golden attires, gold and copper alloy Buddha images, royal regalia, and hundreds of thousands of votive tablets. All of the rediscovered treasures are housed in the Ratchaburana Room of the Chao Sam Phraya Museum.
It is said that Wat Phra Sri Sanphet was once the most beautiful and grandest temple in Ayutthaya. The famous Emerald Buddha temple in Bangkok was modeled after this temple. The temple is built within the Grand Palace grounds serving as the royal temple to be used exclusively by the royal family member. Three main identical chedis were built, the first and second chedi was built by King Ramathibodi II to enshrine the ashes of his father and his elder brother respectively. The third chedi was built 40 years later by King Boromracha IV, to enshrine the remains of his father, King Ramathibodi II. This temple also once housed a 16 meter tall standing Buddha, covered with over 143 kilograms of gold. Unfortunately during the Burmese war, the gold was melted down and taken to Burma. The remaining bronze core was taken to Bangkok and restored and enshrined in a chedi in Wat Pho.
While most of the temple is now reduced to its basic foundation level, including some pillars and basic walls and 30 meters tall prang-tower, this temple is most popular for its reclining Buddha. The Buddha is 42 meters in length and 8 meters high, often clad in bright orange cloth. The Buddha’s head supported by the right-hand rests on lotus buds while all his toes are of equal length. A small altar exists beside it for you to make offerings.
King Prasat Thong commissioned the construction of the Temple in 1630 to honor his mother. Back in the heydays, the primary access to Wat Chai Watthanaram was from the river as the waterways were the most important mode of transport during that period. At a glance, Wat Chai Watthanaram resembles Angkor Wat. It has a 35 meters high central prang surrounded by four smaller prangs each 11 meters high symbolizing Mount Meru. Mount Meru is a sacred five-peaked mountain in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology. It is thought to be the center of all physical, metaphysical, and spiritual universes. The inside walls of the merus were once painted, while relief figures depicting the Buddha's life covered the exteriors. The merus was also filled with gold-covered Buddha image statues. There were 120 sitting Buddha statues along the walls, most likely painted in black and gold. Unfortunately, only remnants of these decorative pieces remain.
"Meanwhile we also viewed some of most elegant Siamese temples and pyramids, especially the large and the small Abbentak, one for the kings and the other for the queens, built in the grand manner at no little cost, glittering with gold and gemstones like a gilded mountain.” - a dutch traveller to Siam in 1655
Wat Phu Khao Thong which means Golden Mountain Temple is also famously known as the White Temple in Ayutthaya. The uniqueness of this temple is the combination of two architectural styles. The base was a large Burmese Mon-style chedi built by Burmese King Bhureng Noung to commemorate his victory at the end of the first Burmese-Siamese war following his capture of Ayutthaya in 1569. Bhureng Noung returned to Hongsawadi around the time the chedi's foundation was built. The then-reigning King Maha Thammaracha was uninterested in continuing the construction of his neighbors' victory monument, and the chedi was never completed. Later in 1587, King Naresuan completed it as a Thai-style chedi to honor Ayutthaya’s independence from Burma in 1584. Finally, King Boromakot (1733 - 1758) had the chedi rebuilt in 1744 to its current form. The final structure compromises a large square Burmese Mon-style base that rises at a moderate angle to a smaller base supporting a Thai-style chedi with a steep point. The hybrid structure as a whole is regarded as a single chedi. Four sets of stairs, one on each side, ascend to the second base. Visitors can climb up to the landing halfway up the chedi, from which they can view the surrounding rice fields and the town of Ayutthaya.
If you missed Part 1, you can read it at the link below:
Beautiful photos and well written narrative on the history. I enjoyed it.
Loved the history lesson. Great pixs. Thanks
Nice! Great photos and write-up 👍