Ayutthaya

One of the highlights of our trip to Bangkok was a visit to the Ayutthaya historical park. It was once one of the largest cities in the world. The ruins still beautiful.

History

Ayutthaya city (full name Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thai: พระนครศรีอยุธยา) is the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. Located in the valley of the Chao Phraya River, the city was founded in 1350 by King U Thong, who went there to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam.

Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai. It is estimated that by 1700 CE Ayutthaya had a population of around one million, making it one of the world’s largest cities at that time, when it was sometimes known as the “Venice of the East”.

In 1767, the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The ruins of the old city are preserved in the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognised internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins, characterised by the prang (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries, give an idea of the city’s past splendour. Modern Ayutthaya was refounded a few kilometres to the east. [1]

The Grand Hall (Wihan Luang), near where these pictures were taken, is now an empty space. It used to house a 16 meter high golden standing Buddha image. Named ‘Phra SisanPhet’ this Buddha image was burnt by the Burmese in order to take away the gold. All that remains is the bronze core. Nowadays Phra Sisanphet is placed at Chedi Sanphetdayan in Wat Phrachetuphon Bangkok.

When the Burmese invaded in 1767 they destroyed the site and decapitated most of the Buddhas (see the Buddhas surrounding the main statue and also below).