Ayutthaya
Historical Place
General Information
Other Name: -, District: NA, State: Central Thailand, Thailand
Area: 0 -
Languages Spoken: Thai
Long Distance Code: +66
Importance: Due to Its historical value
Best Time to Visit: December to January and Nov,Feb
International Access: -Description
The old Thai capital of Ayutthaya (Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya), today one of the most impressive ruined cities in Asia, stands on the wide and fertile plain of the Menam Chao Phraya at a point where the river forms a natural loop. Indeed the city is completely encircled by rivers, the Menam to the south and west, the Lopburi to the north and the Pasak to the east. A canal also links the Lopburi and the Menam, the effect being to create a most favorably situated island.For more than 400 years, between 1350 and 1767, Ayutthaya was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam; Western visitors waxed lyrical about the city, describing it as the most beautiful place they had ever seen.It developed into a flourishing cultural and commercial center and many European trading companies established posts there. Traces of the latter can still be seen, including the foundations of a large Dutch warehouse as well as the recently restored French St Joseph''s Cathedral.Ayutthaya today is a vast collection of temple and palace remains which initially excited little interest from archaeologists.Since 1956 however, the foundations of a number of temples have been excavated to give an idea of their original size, and there has also been some reconstruction. So far about a hundred buildings and ruins have been designated national monuments by the Department of Fine Arts, more being added to the list as further reconstruction and restoration work proceeds with the help of UNESCO.At one time there were three royal palaces, 375 temples, 29 forts and 94 gates on Ayutthaya island alone.Location
90 kilometers from Bangkok.Climate
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Further along on the right, past the Ayutthaya provincial government offices, the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum was founded by King Bhumibol in 1961. It houses some valuable and interesting items in the Lopburi, U Thong, Ayutthaya, Dvaravati and Sukhothai styles including finds from Ayutthaya, sculptures in bronze and stone, terracotta and lacquer work, ceramics, wood-carvings, votive panels and gold jewelry set with precious stones. Outstanding among the many earlier works of art are a seated Buddha and a huge bust of the Buddha in the U Thong style.
Anyone with time to spare who wishes to delve more deeply into Ayutthaya''s history should include a visit to the French St Joseph''s Cathedral on the south bank of the Chao Phraya. Restored only a short while ago the cathedral is a fitting monument to the large group of French settlers who left their country to live in Siam.Several more wats are also located outside the walls of the old city.
Immediately across the road from Wat Ratchaburana stands Wat Mahathat which tradition claims was erected in 1384 by King Ramesuen. He is also said to have built the central prang to house a relic of the Buddha.The prang, 46 m (150 ft) high, is one of the old citys most impressive edifices. In about 1625 the top portion broke off, being rebuilt in 1633 some 4 m (13 ft) higher than before.
Wat Phra Si Sanphet is the loveliest and historically most important temple in old Ayutthaya. Its three large chedis and numerous smaller ones on a long terrace make this wat - also known as the Kings Temple - one of the most impressive sights.Two of the large chedis, the eastern and central ones, were built in 1492 by King Rama Thibodi II to house the ashes of his father and elder brother. His own ashes are interred in the third chedi, built in 1530 by his son and successor on the throne, King Boromaraja IV.
Wat Ratchaburana was erected by King Boromracha II (1424-48) in memory of his elder brothers Ay and Yi.Columns and walls of the wiharn still stand, as do some ruined chedis around the prang and also parts of the surrounding walls complete with lancet gateways. The large prang with its fine figured stucco, portraying nagas supporting garudas, is exceptionally well preserved.The two crypts in the lower part of the prang contain some exceedingly interesting wall paintings, probably the work of Chinese artists who settled in Ayutthaya and had the skill to harmonize such different styles as those of the Khmer and Burmese on the one hand and of Lopburi and Sukhothai on the other.Various works of art were also uncovered in the prang; these included arm-bands with intaglio decoration, gold filigree headdresses and one in solid gold inlaid with precious stones, a five-part service used for betel nuts, two spittoons, and gold coins with Arabic lettering.The prang itself is also of historical interest in that it combines the Indian (Ceylonese) and Burmese styles, merging them into a novel architectural form.
On the eastern outskirts of Ayutthaya (cross the Pasak River and take the Bangkok road, turning right about 300 m (990 ft) beyond the railway) stands the exceptionally interesting Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, its massive chedi rising from a square base surrounded by four smaller chedis. The wat, built in 1357 under King U Thong, was assigned to monks of a particularly strict order trained in Ceylon, members of which still live there. In front of the chedi are the stumps of columns which once supported the roof of the temple.