Ayuthaya Thailand

Ayutthaya: The Capital That Burmese Invaders Burned in 1767

In 1767, Burmese forces sacked Ayutthaya after a 14-month siege, burned most of the city, and forcibly relocated most of the population. The former capital of the Siamese kingdom, which had ruled for over 400 years and grown into one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world at its peak, was essentially ended. What survives are the brick cores of temples after the stucco was stripped or burned away, headless Buddhas (the gold-ornamented heads were removed and melted), and ruins that have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and that are, if you approach them on the right terms, genuinely affecting.

Ayutthaya is 80 kilometres north of Bangkok. The train from Hua Lamphong or Bang Sue takes 1.5 to 2 hours. It is a logical day trip but merits staying overnight to have the ruins in the early morning before the day-trip crowds arrive by minibus.

The Essential Temples

Wat Phra Sri Sanphet was the royal temple: three majestic prangs (tower-like structures in the Khmer-influenced style that characterises Ayutthayan architecture) in a row, the oldest built in 1491. This is where the ashes of Ayutthaya’s kings were interred. The adjacent Viharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit houses a large bronze seated Buddha that was cast in the 15th century.

Wat Mahathat is famous for a single image: a stone Buddha head entwined in the roots of a bodhi tree, the result of centuries of slow growth after the statue was left where it fell. Every photographer in Thailand has the same shot. The rest of Wat Mahathat is extensive and less photographed – rows of decapitated Buddha images in the galleries, prangs in various states of collapse.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River was built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong and follows a Khmer design more explicitly than most Ayutthayan temples. The central prang is surrounded by eight corner prangs and a gallery of seated Buddhas. Best at sunset, when the stone is lit from the west.

Roti Sai Mai

The sweet specific to Ayutthaya: delicate cotton-candy-like strands of palm sugar wrapped in a thin rice flour crepe and eaten immediately. Sold from stalls throughout the city for almost nothing. Worth seeking out even if you don’t have a sweet preference.

Boat noodle soup, another Ayutthayan specialty, is a small-bowl intense pork or beef noodle soup traditionally served from boats on the canal. Many restaurants in the old city serve it from fixed locations now; several bowls constitute a reasonable lunch.

Getting Around

The temple ruins are spread across an island formed by three rivers. Hiring a bicycle (around 50 to 100 THB per day) is the standard approach and is appropriate to the flat terrain. Tuk-tuks are available for those who prefer to cover more ground.

The ruins are best in the early morning and late afternoon. Midday heat in March through May is serious and the temples have almost no shade. November through February is the correct season.