Ayuthaya - 86km north of Bangkok - was the Thai capital from 1350 to 1767; before that it was a Cambodia outpost. It is named after Ayodhya, the home of Rama in the Indian epic Ramayana, Sanskrit for invincible. In 1767, after the ruling of 33 Thai kings, it was conquered by the Burmese and lost its capital status. Today it is a World Heritage Site recognised by UNESCO.

The 16th to 18th century temple ruins at Ayuthaya date from Thailand’s most illustrious period and tell the story of a splendid city which was courted by English, Dutch, Portuguese, French, Japanese and Chinese merchants. By the end of the 17th century, Ayuthaya's population had reached one million and the many visiting foreigners claimed it to be the finest city they had ever seen.

The main temple in the complex is the 14th-century Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the largest in Ayuthaya in its time. It contained a 16m standing Buddha that was covered in 250kg of gold, which was melt down by the Burmese conquerors.

The 16th-century, fortress-like Wat Phra Meru escaped destruction in 1767 and boasts an impressive carved wooden ceiling, a splendid Ayuthaya-era six meters crowned sitting Buddha, and a 1300-year-old green-stone Buddha from Ceylon, posed European-style in a chair.

Wat Phra Chao Phanan Choeng was built in the early 14th century, possibly by Khmers, before Ayuthaya became the Siamese capital. It contains a highly revered nineteen meters Buddha image from which the wat derives its name.

A restored Elephant Kraal brings relief for those tired of temple-trudging. The huge wooden stockade, built from teak logs planted in the ground at 45 degree angles, was once used during the annual round-up of wild elephants. The king had a special raised pavilion built so that he could watch the thrilling event.

Look out for the tree that has completely encircled a Buddha’s head, creating a wonderful living crown.

Reaching Ayuthaya
Buses leave at all times from Mo Chit – the Northern Bus Terminal of Bangkok; all the classes are available, including air-conditioned buses. The trip longs round ninety minutes, unless it is rush-hour. Trains are slightly faster and leave from Bangkok's Hualamphong railway station.

This is the site of a very old Buddhist temple, magnificent buildings that have stood the test of time. Exploring these historic ruins was absolutely fascinating. Well worth the visit.

The nearby summer palace was equally impressive, although in a different way. One impressed because of its timelessness and historical significance, the other impressed with its luxury and style. (Why can't I have a holiday house like that!)

Ayuttay was the capital of Thailand until the Burmese invaded and blasted it to smitherines with cannon during an invasion.The Historical Park has been designed to give an impression of how it would have looked back then.

Many of the buildings have been restored but not to pristine condition which would detract from the feel of the place. The architecture has a Khmer look about it, very intricate carvings. It was built of bricks which are still produced on the island.

Some of the atmosphere comes from the fact that the island is subsiding giving the place a leaning tower effect.

I went with a day tour, but If I were to visit again I would travel by train from BKK, go to the Hotel then take a tuk tuk to the Historical Park. The day tour does cover a lot including a meal and a canal trip but it does not give enough time to soak up the atmosphere. I stayed overnight but as I was going by train to Hua Hin the next day, I did not see anything extra. I would do two nights next time, and a night tour is worth the money.

Ayutthaya, 76km from Bangkok, was the capital of Thailand for about 400 years--from 1350 to 1767 (when it was finally sacked by invading Burmese armies). In its heyday, Ayutthaya was a metropolis of considerable stature and ranked as one of the world’s most important (and magnificent) cities. Today, all that remains is a series of ruins, which are very much worth a look.

Our Ayutthaya tour had been booked by a friend, and the tour van came to our hotel at 6.45am to pick us up, although it was 8am by the time the half-a-dozen other people on the tour had been picked up. An hour’s drive out of Bangkok brought us to our first stop on the way, the Royal Summer Palace at Bang Pa In. Supposedly inspired by Versailles (I didn't see much of a resemblance, myself), Bang Pa In is dotted with pools of water teeming with turtles and fish. Well-laid out gardens, bushes pruned into animal shapes, and plaster statues of very European figures dot the landscape, and a series of pavilions and mansions stand at intervals along the paths. Among the buildings, there’s a red-and-ochre observatory tower; a huge teak mansion with very European interiors; a splendid Chinese mansion, all red and gold; so on and so forth. Opulent enough, and good for half an hour’s look-around before you hit the road and head for Ayutthaya, past lush green paddy fields, coconut trees and rivers.

Surrounded by three rivers, Ayutthaya’s a massive complex of palaces and chedis (pagodas; Ayutthaya has 55 of them). This city has largely succumbed to the passage of time--brick chedis stand, most of them crumbling, here and there while Buddha statues, their heads lopped off by antique-selling Thais, sit in headless rows. It’s a spooky place, half-overgrown by grass, but a major tourist attraction nevertheless. We were taken on a tour around some of the main chedis and wats (including one with a huge seated gold-plated Buddha; this wat also has a 'money tree'--currency notes stapled together in an interminable strip by devotees. It stands on a pedestal, a huge loose globe of paper, with one end trailing Bahts, and tempting godless greedy-guts like us!).

A peek at a Reclining Buddha (a plaster-coated one), a visit to the Ayutthaya Handicrafts Centre (some lovely work here: Thai silk, silverware, carved wood, enamel and ceramic ware, chopsticks, and tiny flowers crafted out of the pith of the water acacia), and then we were taken down to the bank of the Chao Phraya river, where we got onto a large, comfortable boat for the cruise--with a great lunch included--back to Bangkok. We docked at Bangkok (near the Sheraton hotel) at around 4pm but, Bangkok traffic being what it is, managed to get back to our hotel only at 5.45pm. On the whole, a fulfilling trip.

Ayuthaya is the old capital of Siam (now - Thailand). It was the capital of the kingdom about 417 years (1350-1767). Ayutthaya was once one of the major world empires of Asia, with influence extending all the way to China, Japan and Europe. The city had a population surpassing that of London and the capitals of the west. Not surprisingly, much remains to be seen of this once vast empire, and the ancient ruins and temples are preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Phra Si Sanphet Temple is Ayutthaya's most famous and most outstanding temple and a symbol of the power and majesty of the Ayutthaya era.