Ayuthaya

This morning I was picked up for a tour of Ayuthaya. The bus first arrived at the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, built during the Ayuthaya era. The palace is beautifully decorated in both traditional Chinese and European style. King Rama V traveled extensively and brought back many European influences to the Palace. Below is a picture of the Thai Pavilion, my favorite part of the palace, and a herd of elephant topiaries.

Next we arrived at Ayutthaya, the Ancient City, which was the former Thai capital for over 400 years. Nowadays the glory and the beauty of the grand palace and temples of its past has vanished, leaving merely a glimpse of ruins, despite this it is a good reflection of the past. We saw a combination of both the ruins and the remaining historical attractions.

We first stopped at Wat Maha That. Over 600 years old, Wat Maha That was the heart and soul of the Ayutthaya people. It was almost completely destroyed by the Burmese during the Thai-Burmese war. Below is a picture of the famous Buddha head inside the trunk and roots of a tree. After the Wat was damaged during the war it was looted and the heads of all of the Buddhas were stolen. Somehow this one was hidden under this tree and eventually became part of the tree. The second picture is of one of the few remaining Buddha statues with ruins in the background. There are many more pictures on the SnapFish site, just click the Fellowship Photos link on the right side of the page.

Our next stop was Wat Na Phra Mane. It remains in perfect condition, as it was used as the Burmese headquarters. The splendid Golden Buddha, dressed in regal attire, was placed in the temple along with the three thousand-year-old green stone carved Buddha. Both are considered as extremely valuable national relics. A picture of the Golden Buddha is below.

Our last stop in Ayuthaya was Wat Lokayasutharam. This Wat has a mysterious past, whereby its origins are unknown. The temple enshrines the Largest Reclining Buddha Image which was built during The early period of the Ayutthaya region. Two other ancient temples, as well as the ruined site also surround the compound area. Here is a photo of the reclining Buddha.

We next boarded a boat for our trip back to Bangkok. We were served a delicious buffet lunch. Throughout the journey I was able to watch the Chao Phraya River banks scenery and had a clear view of the life of the inhabitants that dwell along the river, and the unforgettable scenery of children as they greeted us as we went by, making it an altogether worthwhile experience.