The historic city of Ayutthaya is 70 km north of Bangkok. From 1351 – 1767, Ayutthaya was the first capital of the Thai Kingdom. In the 18th century, it was the most important metropolis of Southeast Asia. Today, the old town is part of the Ayutthaya History Park and since 1991 a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
King Ramathibodi (U. Thong) founded Ayutthaya as the capital of his kingdom. About 1700, Ayutthaya is said to have had a million inhabitants.
33 kings ruled today’s Thailand from here. In 1767, the Burmese king of AVA plundered the city, burnt it down and completely destroyed it.
Please watch the 4k UHD video
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationWat Phanan Choeng
Coming from Bangkok, we first reach Wat Phanan Choeng at the mouth of the Mae Nam Pa Sak in the Mae Nam Chao Phraya. The temple was supposed to be built at the place, where the Chinese princess Soi Dok Mak was burned.
She is said to have strangled herself after she was despised by King Sai Namphoeng, whom she should marry. The temple houses one of the largest oldest Buddha statues of Thailand. The sedentary Buddha is 19 m high.
North of the temple on the banks of the Chao Phraya is the shrine of the unhappy princess.
Wat Yai Chai Mongkon
Wat Yai Chai Mongkon lies southwest of Ayutthaya outside the old town.
The reclining Buddha gained some fame during the 2011 flood in Thailand. Photos went around the world when the water literally stood up to his chin. Nothing is known about the state of the current floods in 2016. The reclining Buddha might date from the time of King Naresuan the Great.
The first ruler of the Ayutthaya Empire King Ramathibodi I set-up the temple in 1357. It was an abode for monks who returned from Ceylon after studying Buddhism.
Wat Mahathat
Wat Mahathat lies in the center of the town and is part of the Ayutthaya History Park.
Right next to the entrance,we see the head of a Buddha overgrown by the roots of an old banyan tree. According to legend, the Burmese vandalized temples and Buddhas during the conquest of the city.
Residents buried one of the heads at the foot of this tree. By the growth of the tree the Buddha, however, the Buddha came back to daylight. Today, it is one of the most photographed objects in Ayutthaya.
Presumably, a temple was already in this place as of 1374. When founding the kingdom Ayutthaya, the temple was one of the four main temples of the country. It had enormous wealth and the topmost patriarch of the Thai Buddhists resided here.
The central Prang (Golden Tower, more than 50 m high) in Khmer style collapsed, in 1631. It was rebuilt and restored several times. In the 20th century, it collapsed again.
Since then only the ruins exist. In the meantime, one had extended the complex by many Chedis and Prangs.
From here you can also see the great Prang of the north-facing Wat Ratchaburana. It was supposedly built as a memory of an elephant duel of two king sons. Both found the death at the duel.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to inspect a wider area. You find more important attractions like Wang Luang, the remains of the old royal palace. It was the model for the construction of the royal palace in Bangkok.
Furthermore, you can visit Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya’s landmark, with the ashes of kings stored in three striking Chedis. Wat Phra Si Sanphe stands on the remains of the first palace in Ayutthaya.
Wat Chai Watthanaram
Wat Chai Watthanaram lies on the southwest shore of the Chao Phraya, southwest of the old town. It was the first temple complex that King Prast Thong built in 1630 on the site of his mother’s residency.
In the center stands a central 35 m high Prang surrounded by four smaller pillars. Eight Chedis, originally connected by a cloister, frame the complex. The cremation of numerous kings, queens, and members of the royal family took place on the grounds.
At sunset, Wat Chai Watthanaram appears in particularly beautiful colors.
Ayutthaya has many other sights to see, such as the Chandra Kasem Palace, a new royal palace, and many more Wats. You can spend several days to explore Ayutthaya. Unfortunately, we did not have that time.
Please read on > Sukhothai Historical Park
Pin it for later
