Ayutthaya Historical Park
Ayutthaya Historical Park preserves the ruins of what was once the capital of Siam, a city that ruled from 1350 until 1767, when it was sacked by a Burmese army and abandoned. At its height it was one of the largest and richest cities in the world, and the ruins left on the island between the Chao Phraya,…
Ayutthaya Historical Park
Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam from 1350 until 1767, when it was sacked by a Burmese army and abandoned. At its height it was one of the largest and richest cities in the world, and the ruins left on the island between the Chao Phraya, Lopburi and Pa Sak rivers were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
What survives is chiefly brick and laterite: chedis, prangs, temple platforms and rows of headless Buddha images, spread across a large area rather than concentrated in one place. The central cluster - Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Phra Si Sanphet - is walkable; other temples are far enough apart that most visitors hire a bicycle, a tuk-tuk or a driver for the day.
The park is about eighty kilometres north of Bangkok and is commonly visited as a day trip from the city, by train, road or river boat. There is shade but not much of it, and the middle of the day is punishing in hot season.
- Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya — Wat Chaiwatthanaram in Ayutthaya is one of the most photographed temple ruins in Thailand, prized for its intact Khmer-style...
- Wat Lokayasutharam, Ayutthaya — Visiting Wat Lokayasutharam in Ayutthaya Wat Lokayasutharam Ayutthaya is one of the more understated ruins in the old capital,...
- Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya — Wat Mahathat Ayutthaya was one of Ayutthaya's most important royal temples, founded in the fourteenth century and holding...
- Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya — Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya, stood inside the royal palace grounds and was the holiest temple in the kingdom - the Ayutthaya...
- Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya — Wat Ratchaburana Ayutthaya: An Overview Wat Ratchaburana Ayutthaya is one of the most historically layered temples in the...
- Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Ayutthaya — Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Ayutthaya: An Active Temple Worth Visiting Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon lies south-east of the island and...
