| Ayutthaya (picture by Peter Watts) |  |
Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya
From 1350 until 1767 Ayutthaya served as the capital city of Thailand. As such it gained a massive collection of temples and monasteries. It was said that the gleaming temples and gilded chedis of Ayutthaya could be seen for several miles. The main part of Ayutthaya was built on an island about 4km wide where the Chao Phraya, Lopburi and Pasak rivers converge. The island was surrounded by a 12km long wall interspersed with towers.Unfortunately, this was not enough to prevent the city from falling to the Burmese army in 1767, bringing the rule of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya to an abrupt end. The Burmese ransacked the city and burned it to the ground destroying most of the temples and other important buildings at the same time. Countless artifacts and documents were lost in the sacking of Ayutthaya.
The Royal Family fled 80km south to Bangkok and soon established this as the new capital city of Thailand. Meanwhile, Ayutthaya was left to decay.
Most of the important historical sites are found in the west of the city, including the ruins of Wat Phra Mahathat, Wat Ratburana. The most revered Buddha image in the town is at Viharn Phra Mongkol Bopit. The best preserved temple at Ayutthaya is Wat Na Phra Mane, just to the north of the island. Further out to the northeast is the Royal Elephant Compound, while to the northwest, resting among rice paddies, is the massive chedi of Wat Phu Khao Thong.
Ayutthaya can easily be visited as a day trip from Bangkok, and this is what many tourist do. It takes about 2 hours to reach the city by train, and then cross the Pasak River on a ferry to the island. The eastern end of the island has built up again, laid out in a grid format, to become the modern city of Ayutthaya and capital of the Ayutthaya province.
It is a short walk through the town from the pier to the old city where you emerge onto acres of ruined temples. One of the best ways to get around the city quickly is to hire a bike, which is very cheap. Ayutthaya also has a number of hotels for those wishing to base themselves in this city for a couple of days. The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) has a large office in Ayutthaya with an exhibition about the city.
In December 1991, Ayutthaya and 'associated historic towns' in the Ayutthaya historical park were listed by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. This may yet be the final nail in the coffin as flocks of tourists now trample among the ruined temples of Ayutthaya. Every year for a week in mid-December Ayutthaya holds a festival to celebrate this UNESCO listing featuring fireworks, historical plays, elephant fights and other events.