 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,
then 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, re-digging 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.
Recently declared
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Historic Ayutthaya temples are
scattered throughout this once magnificent city and along the surrounding
rivers. We have selected the highlights of the site
for your visit including Wat Maha That, Wat Lokayasutharam and Wat
Na Phra Mane.
 
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