sightseeing, holiday tours, Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, Wang Luang, Royal Temple, Bang Pa-In
for full day excursion tour CLICK HERE for details
Ayutthaya was to the Siamese what Versailles was to the French, Kyoto to the Japanese, Saint Petersburg to the Russians, Washington DC to the Americans: a stirring, vibrant capital, a centre of art, culture and commerce that rivalled London and Paris. So magnificent was
Ayutthaya
in its prime, that European ambassadors, having visited it, scurried homewards with
stories of the splendid and exotic golden kingdom in the East. By the second half of the
17th century, Ayutthaya had achieved its zenith. It was the largest and most magnificent
city in Southeast Asia, with a population greater than that of London. Its temples -almost
400 of them - glittered with gold and multi-coloured tiles and mosaics. Along its 55 kms
of waterways, stately royal barges, carved in the shapes of fabulous creatures, moved in
procession, followed by thousands of humbler craft.Surrounded on all sides by water, Ayutthaya was sited at the strategic convergence of three great rivers: the Chao Phraya, the Lopburi and the Pasak. The loop formed by the three rivers was completed into a circle by a man made canal. It was impregnable, or so the Siamese rulers thought. Its 47 kms of paved roads bore the ornate palanquins of noblemen and massive war elephants with their jewelled harnesses, safe within its protection.
Neighbouring Burmese, greedy for this fabulous wealth and unforgiving of their humbling defeat 175 years before, descended again on the golden capital, burning and looting temples and palaces of their vast artistic treasures.The sacking of Ayutthaya was an act of vandalism that still rankles in the hearts of many Thais today and for good cause: nearly all of the country's written historical records were needlessly destroyed.
The Siamese retreated south, setting up their new capital on the Chao Phraya river, first at Thonburi, and then in Bangkok, where the Chakri dynasty was founded and King Rama I enthroned. Mutilated and abandoned, Ayutthaya slept for more than 100 years. Only to be awakened when the Fine Arts Department began work on its plans to return Ayutthaya to its former glory, redigging the old canals, and restoring as many of the old temples and palaces as possible.
As a result of this work, today's Ayutthaya displays a stirring and elegant testimony to its greatness, offering visitors glimpses of its former grandeur.
Koh Chang hotels reservation services
Wat Yai Chai
Mongkol 
ped park.
Bang Pa-In, a delicious, charming
summer palace of the Chakri kings, with its mixture of Italian, Victorian and Thai
architecture. Originally built by King Prasart Thong during the Ayutthaya period almost
four centuries ago, the palace was restored by King Rama IV and King Rama V who would use
the palace as a summer retreat, and also to welcome state visitors and hold receptions on
various occasions. In traditional fashion, the palace is divided into two sections; the
outer court used for audiences and ceremonies, and the private inner court for the king,
the royal family and courtiers.
