Ayo Aya Ayutthaya

Slowly returning to the dust they came from, ruins are all what survived from Ayutthaya. Most of them are on the island's northwest, west of the modern, but unimportant, town; the best way of exploring the area is by walking among the lush greenery. Religious ruins are a big part of the complex; it is not hard to imagine the city in its splendor since we have a modern counterpart at Bangkok's Grand Palace. Ayutthaya's structures feature a mix of Khmer (in the rounded prangs) and Sukhothai (in the pointed chedis) styles.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Wat Phra Si Sanphet served in Ayutthaya as the royal temple Wat Phra Kaeo (home to the Emerald Buddha) does now in Bangkok.

The Wang Lung (Royal Palace) was built by King U-Thong, the city founder as his residential palace at the city's almost geographical center. Used first as a residential palace, it became a monastery during the reign of King Ramathibodi I; later, King Borom Trai Lokanat constructed new living quarters, and the old palace was transformed into the temple we can see today. Inaugurated in 1491, Wat Phra Si Sanphet was the biggest temple in town.

Its three restored bell-shaped chedis have become Ayutthaya's symbol and contain the ashes of three Ayutthaya kings: nowadays it is inactive. The chedis are located at the northern end of Si Sanphet Road; the entry fee is 20 baht.

Wat Phra Ram

Across the street from Wat Phra Si Sanphet is Wat Phra Ram, a Khmer-styled prang dating back to Ayutthaya's early days. It was built in 1369, though the actual ruins belong to a 15th century restoration. The prang is adorned with chedis and Buddha images in the walking and standing poses.

Chedi Phra Si Suriyothai

On the western side of the city, this temple was built on the Rear Palace's original site as a memorial to Somdet Phra Suriyothai, who was the royal consort of Phra Mahachakkaraphat and the Thais first heroine. In 1548, she interrupted a fight between the king and Phrachao Prae of Burma and was cut to death.

Wat Ratburana

Near the city center, Wat Ratburana keeps the ashes of King Borom Rachathirat II (Chao Sam Phraya) two older brothers, who killed each other fighting over the throne; it was built in 1424.

The structure features an interesting shape. A series of chedis surround a main prang, and a large viharn is at their front, in a style still drawing much from Khmer architecture. The divergences are the high multi-layered base and an extended upper section, the corners of the main body and the antefixes, that were attached to the body of the tower instead of leaving a gap between them as done in Khmer prasats. The admission fee is 20 bahts.

Wat Mahathat

Wat Mahathat is a general name of temples containing Buddha relics. The one in Ayutthaya is one of the oldest temples in the city. It was built in the late 14th century by King Borommaracha I following a revelation, and magical appearance of the relics. Wat Phra Mahathat is across Naresuan Road from Wat Ratburana, westof the Grand Palace to the east, and next to the Pa Than Bridge.

Its central prang, of which only the base remains, reached almost fifty meters, some of the surrounding chedis still feature the original stucco decorations. The admission fee is 20 bahts.

Wat Phanan Choeng

On the southern side of Ayutthaya and across the river from it, where the Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers meet, is one of Ayutthaya's oldest temples with a 17m tall Buddha image cast in 1324. This seated image is called Phrachao Phananchoeng was built of stucco in the attitude of subduing evil and is especially popular among Thais of Chinese origin.

Wat Kasattrathirat Worawihan

Located outside the island and opposite Chedi Phra Si Suriyothai, on the bank of the Chao Phraya River is this prang-temple (a Khmer style stupa) of the Ayutthaya period.

Wat Yai Chai Mongkon

At the southeast edge of town lies the huge bell-shaped chedi of Wat Ya Chai Mongkon, which is visible from most of Ayutthaya. The chedi was built in 1592 by Nareusan the Great, to commemorate his victory over the Burmese; the attached temple was built in 1357 by King Ramathibodi, as a monks’ meditation site.

The chedi is bell-shaped, about 60 meters high, and constructed on a mound of raised ground with steps leading to a brick and stucco Buddha image placed midway to the top. Also situated in the compound is King Naresuan statue. The admission fee is 20 baht.

Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit

South of Wat Phra Si Sanphet is Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, where a large bronze seated Buddha image (Phra Mongkhon Bophit) was located west of the Grand Palace.

Constructed in 15th century it was originally intended to stand in the open air, but King Songtham transferred it westwards, where it was covered with a Mondop. The top of the Mondop was burnt down by a fire due to a thunderbolt In the reign of Phra Chao Sua; after that the king commanded that a new building would be built atop it in the form of a big sanctuary (Maha Wihan).

During the fall of Ayutthaya the building and the image were badly destroyed by fire; the present Viharn and Buddha image have been reconstructed. The open area to the east was Sanam Luang, where royal cremation ceremonies took place, a similar area exists next to the Grand Palace in modern Bangkok.

Wat Na Phra Men

Also known as Wat Phra Merurachikaram, this temple is across the river north of the palace; since it was reconstructed several times, its origins are unclear.The viharn contains a large Dvaravati-style stone Buddha seated in European style, his hands on his knees, this was one of the only objects to survive the Burmese ransacking. The admission fee is 10 baht.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram

Located on the western bank of the Chao Phraya is Wat Chaiwatthanaram, built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong in honor of his mother, the temple is an Angkor replica. The temples features a tall prang surrounded by smaller ones; this symbolizes Mount Meru, the abode of the heavenly gods. The entry fee is 20 baht.

Wat Phutthaisawan

South of the town, on the Chao Phraya's southern bank is this temple, which features a white, classical Khmer prang and hosts a monastery. From this location King U-Thong supervised the construction of his new capital.

Wat Lokkayasutha

The monastery is one kilometer behind Wat Suanluangsopsawan and adjacent to Wat Worachettharam, in the area of the Ancient Palace. It features a large reclining Buddha, made of brick, covered with plaster and 29 meters long.

Wat Samanakot

Located near Wat Kudidao, the main attraction of this temple is a large and unusual prang, apparently a replica of Chiang Mai's Chedi Chet Yot.

Chao Sam Phraya National Museum

This museum hosts many original antiques, some of them made of gold and decorated with precious jewels, adding the small details of life in Ayutthaya that the large temples outside miss. The most unusual item is a receptacle in the Thai Pavilion which contains Buddha relics.

It is located on Rochana Road, and is open daily, except Mondays, Tuesdays and national holidays, between 9 AM and 4 PM, the entrance fee is 10 baht.

Entrance Fees

For unclear reasons, it is not possible to buy a ticket allowing entrance to all the temples in Ayutthaya at a central spot; each one is accessed separately. Despite the fees being relatively low, they create a recurring annoyance.

Ayutthaya's religious ruins do not tell the whole story; being the kingdom's capital since its foundation in 1351, the city fulfilled also an administrative role which was reflected in various structures and features characteristic of a political nexus, including areas in which foreigners lived.

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (The Holy City of Ayutthaya) was once among the world's biggest cities. During the mid 17th century, foreign visitors claimed Ayutthaya was the most magnificent city they had ever see; by then it had more than a million denizens, twice as much as contemporaneous London.

In 1969 the Thai Fine Arts Department began the ruins renovations; they were declared a historical park in 1976 and later a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At its peak, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya included tributary territories in parts of modern day Laos, Cambodia, China, South Vietnam and Myanmar. Ayutthaya had diplomatic relations with such remote countries as the France of Louis XIV; Dutch, Portuguese, English, Chinese and Japanese merchants traded with it. Its capital was a great city that attracted both Europeans and Asians and had all the structures they requested.

Royal Palace

The Royal Palace of Ayutthaya, now known as the Old Palace, is next to the northern side of the island. Built in 1351, it was transformed by King Borom Trailokanath into a monastery (Wat Phra Si Sanpet) in 1448, when he declared the three grand wooden prasats built by King U-Thong as a phuttawat or (Buddha Temple).

King Borom Trailokanath extended the palace grounds further north towards the Lopburi River, which was then used as the city's moat. Several halls were built afterwards. The complex includes the following areas:

Sanphet Prasat Hall

This hall was built by King Borom Trailokanath, who used it as a reception hall for foreign visitors, complementing thus the Benjarat Maha Prasat Hall. This prasat-style hall had long porticoes at the front and the back, with shorter ones on the sides and a small Mondop situated on a mini balcony on the front portico. Tin sheets - in an unusual touch of Burmese style - covered the roof and small spikes decorated its ridges; a tall spire was on top of the roof. On both sides of this hall were stables that housed the white elephants, which are a symbol of royalty in Thailand. Following the Burmese destruction, the hall was burnt and only its brick and mortar foundations survive.

Chakawat Paichayon Hall

King Prasat Thong built this prasat-style hall in 1632 on the inside wall of the palace: the place was where an envoy sent by the Burmese King to protest King Prasat Thong's proposal to reform the calendar was received.

Trimuk Hall

This building was the garden house inside the inner court, is located behind Sanphet Prasat Hall. It was a long building similar to Sanphet Prasat Hall, originally built of wood; it burned in 1427, but its original foundation is still visible.

In 1907, when King Rama V celebrated the 40th anniversary of his coronation in 1907 he built wooden halls on top of the original sites, one of them was built on top of the Trimuk Hall ruins. In 1953, the Thai Fine Arts Department renovated the hall.

Japanese Village

The Japanese Village is located about a mile south of the Wat Phananchoeng, just south of the island; there, the remains of the Portuguese and Japanese communities can be seen on opposite sides of the Chao Phraya River.

In the late 16th Century, Japanese merchants were permitted to sail and trade in the area, in a fashion similar to the one in Hoi An, Vietnam.

A number of them came to Ayutthaya and were granted royal permission by the Thai king to settle around the city. One of their leaders was Nagamaza Yamada; he became so accepted that the king appointed him Ruler of Nakhon Si Thammarat. His statue is within a building exhibiting the relations between the Kingdom of Ayutthaya and foreign countries. Open between 8AM and 6PM; the admission fee is 20 Baht.

Elephant Kraal Pavilion

The Kraal Pavilion, from where the king watched elephants round up, is situated of the island. In the past wild elephants were trained there to be war or transport animals. An elephant round-up was demonstrated here in 1890, during the reign of King Rama V, for the sake of the future Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

St. Joseph's Church

St. Joseph's Church - the oldest in Thailand - was built during the reign of King Narai in 1666 as a result of a request from the missionaries headed by Bishop Lambert de la Motte. The original wooden church was rebuilt in bricks and mortar between 1685 and 1695.

During the final Burmese attack, the Siamese used the church as a shelter which led to its destruction on 23 March 1767. In 1831 Father Pallegoix took care of the restoration work on the church. The restoration was completed in 1847; more additions were made by Father Perros during the reign of King Rama V. After the destruction of Ayutthaya and the relocation of the capital to Thonburi, a new church – now known as the Santa Cruz Cathedral - was constructed there.

Ayutthaya is superbly located about an hour (86km) north of Bangkok, comfortably allowing visits in one of two modes:

1. A short trip from and to Bangkok.

2. The first leg to a trip to Sukhothai, Phitsanulok and central Thailand.

Why should I visit another cluster of old temples?

Visiting Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Bangkok temples may be considered as an exercise in redundancy. All of them were capital cities of the Thai Kingdom - Siam - and feature temples built by the same culture.

Yet, there is no other way of getting a substantial glimpse into the nomadic character of early Thais. There is no better way of understanding the Mandalas - the Circles of Kings - that shapes the fate of these people. There is no better way of understanding the complex relations with their neighbors.

Why is Ayutthaya so important?

Ayutthaya was the Thai capital from 1350 to 1767; before that, it was a Cambodian 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 recognized 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 - one of the world's biggest at the time - and the many visiting foreigners claimed it to be the finest city they had ever seen.

What would I see there?

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 and taken away by the Burmese conquerors.

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.

How Can I reach Ayutthaya?

Bus

Buses leave at all times from Mo Chit, the Northern Bus Terminal of Bangkok; all the classes are available, including air-conditioned buses; the last cost about $1.5. The trip longs around ninety minutes, unless it is rush-hour; second and third class buses many frequent stops, thus traveling with them takes more time.

Train

Most of the trains leaving from Bangkok's Hualamphong Railway Station pass through Ayutthaya. The trip longs about ninety minutes; a first class ticket costs about two dollars.

Minivan

Minivans and minibuses leave from the Victory Monument: they are the fastest transport, spanning the distance in about an hour and are slightly cheaper than the train. The monument can be reached from the Victory Monument BTS Skytrain Station.

Boat

Boats from Bangkok, via Ko Kret and Bang Pa-In. The trip may take a whole day - depending on the boat - and should be booked in advance, preferably through a travel agency. The cost depends on several factors; $30 is a sensible average figure.

Bicycle

Bicycles are ideal for exploring Ayutthaya; several shops in town rent them on a daily base.

Tuk-Tuks

Tuk-Tuks - also known as sam-lor ("three-wheels" in Thai) prey for tourists in Ayutthaya offering tours. However, the attractions are close to each other, and the tuk-tuks are such a noisy, polluting and uncomfortable transport, that they are not recommended. Not to mention that the driver's cousin is always a superb tailor willing to offer a special discount to the distinguished visitor from abroad.

As commented elsewhere, visiting important historic ruins - like Angkor - without understanding the sights would probably spoil the event. Ayutthaya is not different; moreover, comprehending its history is key to understanding modern Thailand. The kingdom of Ayutthaya was the second Thai kingdom, following the one in Sukhothai and preceding the one in Thonburi/Bangkok; it existed from 1351 to 1767AC.

Foundation

In an attempt to escape the threat of an epidemic, King Ramathibodi I founded Ayutthaya as the capital of his kingdom in 1351; the city was named after the Hindu holy city Ayodhya in northern India, the birth place of the Hindu god Rama, the Ramayana Hindu epic hero.

In 1360, Ramathibodi declared Theravada Buddhism the official religion of Ayutthaya and brought members of a sangha, a Buddhist monastic community from Sri Lanka to establish the kingdom's religious order. He also compiled a legal code based on the Indian Dharmashastra and Thai custom; supplemented by royal decrees, this legal code remained in use until the late nineteenth century.

Ramathibodi seized Angkor in the last year of his reign, during the first of several successful Thai assaults on the Khmer capital. The Khmer often submitted to Ayutthaya's suzerainty, but the Thai efforts to maintain control over Angkor were futile since Thai troops were frequently diverted to suppress rebellious Sukhothai or to fight the Lanna Kingdom (Chiang Mai), where Ayutthaya's expansion was resisted.

In 1376AC Sukhothai was finally annexed to his kingdom. Over the next four centuries the kingdom expanded to become Siam, whose borders were roughly those of modern Thailand, except for the northern Lanna Kingdom. Eventually Ayutthaya prevailed, and the year after Ramathibodi died, his kingdom was recognized by the Ming Chinese emperor as Sukhothai's rightful successor.

The kingdom was not a single, unified state but rather a group of self-governing principalities and tributary provinces ruled by the king of Ayutthaya under the mandala system (see that entry in this journal). The principalities were ruled by members of the royal family of Ayutthaya who had their own armies and warred among themselves, and the autonomous southern Malay states.

Empire

Soon, Ayutthaya's kings began expanding the kingdom systematically. In 1431AC, Angkor, the Khmer capital, was destroyed by Ayutthaya. Abandoning it, the Khmer relocated their capital in Phnom Penh, a site which was easier to defend.

During much of that century, Ayutthaya's energies were focused on the Malay Peninsula, where the port of Malacca claimed sovereignty. Ayutthaya's failed due to the Chinese military support of the Sultanate. The Chinese Admiral Zheng had one of his bases there, so the Chinese could not afford to loose such a strategic position to the Thais. Under this protection, Malacca flourished into one of Ayutthaya's great rivals, until its conquest in 1511 by the Portuguese. An important detail in this saga, was that Malacca and other Malay states had become Muslim; the new religion became a unifying symbol against the Thais.

After conquering Malacca, the Portuguese sent in the same year a diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya. Five years after that, Ayutthaya and Portugal signed a treaty granting the Portuguese permission to trade in the kingdom. In 1592, another treaty gave the Dutch privileges in the rice trade.

Power Games

Burma raised during the sixteenth century; it conquered the Lanna Kingdom and Laos, and was eyeing Ayutthaya.

In 1569 Burmese forces, joined by Thai rebels of the Thai royal family, captured Ayutthaya and deported the royal family to Burma. Dhammaraja, a Thai governor who had aided the Burmese, was installed as vassal king at Ayutthaya. Thai independence was restored by his son, King Naresuan (1590- 1605), who turned on the Burmese and expelled them from the country in 1600.

This new dynasty welcomed foreigners; important commercial ties were forged with Japan. Dutch and English companies were allowed to build factories, and Thai diplomatic missions were sent to Paris and The Hague. The Thai court skillfully played off the Dutch against the English and the French, avoiding the excessive influence of a single power and probably ensuring its future survival of the colonial period relatively unharmed.

In 1664, the Dutch used force to get a treaty granting them extraterritorial rights as well as freer access to trade. Following his Greek foreign minister advise, Constantine Phaulkon, King Narai requested French help; those built fortifications for the Thai and a new palace at Lopburi. In parallel, French missionaries engaged in education, brought the first printing press into the country and began a comprehensive health project. Louis XIV's personal interest was driven by reports from missionaries suggesting that Narai might convert to Christianity.

The French presence caused suspicion among the Thai nobles and Buddhist clergy. When King Narai was dying, general Phetracha killed both the Christian heir and Phaulkon, along with the missionaries. The arrival of English warships caused a massacre of more Europeans. General Phetracha seized the throne, expelled the foreigners, and began a period of a century and a half during which the Thais isolated themselves from the West.

After this violent episode, Ayutthaya entered its golden age, a relatively peaceful period in the second quarter of the eighteenth century when art, literature, and learning flourished. The Ayutthaya fought with the Vietnamese Nguyen Lords over the control of Cambodia from1715 onward, and on the west the new Alaungpaya Burmese dynasty had temporarily conquered the Shan, but overall big struggles seemed as part of the past.

By the mid eighteen century, Ayutthaya's territory included the Shan, Lanna, parts of Yunnan and Shan Sri in China, Lan Xiang in northern Laos, Cambodia, South Vietnam and some of Malaya.

Fall

In 1765, the Thai territory was invaded by two Burmese armies that converged on Ayutthaya, meeting no resistance except for that of the village of Bang Rajan. After a lengthy siege, Ayutthaya was burned in 1767. Ayutthaya's art treasures, temples, palaces and libraries were almost completely destroyed.

The Thais were saved from Burmese control by a Chinese invasion of Burma. Shortly after, the Thai general Phraya Taksin managed to reunify the country, became king and moved his capital southwards to Thonburi, across the Chao Phraya River from modern Bangkok.

Micro: The Thai Angle

Along their recorded history, Thais have been moving southwards; it isn't just the relocation vector of their three last capital cities, but an event that began much earlier. Under the pressure of Chinese-Han migrations southwards, the Thai left their original lands in what they called Chiang Roon in Yunnan (several Roman transliterations of this name exist) and moved into the area of modern Thailand.

The original Mon and Khmer populations of the area relocated to Myanmar and Cambodia, respectively, while the Lao and the Shan - both groups related to the Thai and that shared with them the migration southwards - settled in modern Laos and Myanmar.

Following early principalities in Chiang Mai (the Lanna Kingdom) and northern Thailand, the Kingdom of Sukhothai, centered south of Chiang Mai, was founded in 1238AC and became the first of the three Thai kingdoms; it suffered almost continuous attacks of the Burmese.

Seeking for a more defendable location, the city of Ayutthaya was founded in 1351AC on an island delimited by the Chao Phraya, the Pa Sak and the Lopburi rivers, and became the capital of the second Thai Kingdom, usually known as the Ayutthaya Kingdom;

In 1376AC it absorbed what was left of Sukhothai and was recognized by the Chinese as the legal successor to that kingdom.

Its economy was based on the production of rice and the trade routes between India and China. In the mid-17th century, Ayutthaya was one of the biggest cities in the world and sitting at the center of an awesome canals network of 140 kilometers.

This kingdom adopted a feudal system in which various vassal principalities paid taxes and defeated Angkor in 1444; however the Malays successfully blocked the Thais to the south and the Burmese became a constant threat to the west. The last successfully ransacked Ayutthaya in 1767 and lead to the creation of the third - and southernmost - Thai kingdom, with its capital in Thonburi, which was soon moved across the Chao Praya River to modern Bangkok.

Macro: The Concept

This constant shift is usually referred to as Mandala, or "circle of kings," a term that refers to the complicated interactions of the relatively decentralized kingdoms in South East Asia. Within the Thai culture it took the form of a constant shift of power southwards. It was similar to feudal Europe, with constantly shifting tributary relations between local powers, emphasizing personal power. The term plays with the Hindu and Buddhist Mandala doctrine in which power emanates from several centers.

The Players

The main overlord states in the area were Angkor, Sumatra, Java, Ayutthaya, Vietnam, and China. On the other side, the main tributary principalities were Lan Xang (succeeded by Vientiane, Luang Prabang ), Cham and Lanna. Over time, kingdoms moved from one category to the other, making it imperative to state accurate dates while dealing with political situations in the area.

The Mandala Code

The Mandala system was flexible, the obligations and rights varied according to the strength of the relationship and the circumstances. The tributary paid regular tribute of goods and precious metals, which symbolized the dependence. The overlord ruler reciprocated with presents, often of greater value. However, the tributary provided also men and supplies when called on, usually in times of war.

The tributary enjoyed Mafia-style protection from invasion, often from the threats of the overlord himself. The overlord could also control the succession in the tributary, but the interference with the tributary's domestic affairs was minimal; he could keep his own army and taxation. The emphasis on personal relationships was one of the defining characteristics of the mandala system. The tributary ruler was subordinate to the overlord ruler, rather than to the overlord state; the system was non-territorial, no ruler had authority over unpopulated areas. A strong ruler could attract new tributary principalities, and would have strong relationships over his existing ones, while a weak ruler would find it harder to maintain such relationships. This was the mechanism that allowed the shifting on the different kingdoms swiftly.

The overlord-tributary relationship was not necessarily exclusive, a state in border areas could pay tribute to two or three stronger powers. The system ended by the arrival of the European colonizers in the mid-19th century, which assumed that every area was subject only to one sovereign. French Indochina, British Malaya and Burma created pressure for fixed boundaries and the tributary states were divided between the colonies and Siam.