Ayutthaya Historical Park

Ayutthaya Historical Park covers the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya, on an island formed by the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak and Lopburi rivers, about 80 kilometres north of Bangkok. The city was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1351, and for more than four centuries it was the capital of the Siamese kingdom and one of the largest cities in Asia, trading with China, Japan, Persia and European powers.

In 1767 a Burmese army captured and burned the city, and the capital was moved south, first to Thonburi and then to Bangkok. Thailand's Fine Arts Department began restoring the ruins in 1969 and declared the site a historical park in 1976. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1991.

The best known ruins include Wat Mahathat, where a stone Buddha head is held in the roots of a fig tree; Wat Phra Si Sanphet, with three tall bell-shaped chedis that once formed part of the royal palace; and Wat Ratchaburana, with its restored central prang. Outside the island are Wat Chaiwatthanaram, built in Khmer style beside the river, and Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon with its large reclining Buddha. Many headless Buddha images across the site show the damage of 1767.

The temples are spread over a wide area, so most visitors rent a bicycle or hire a tuk-tuk. Boat trips around the island give river views of the riverside temples.

Main temples charge separate entry tickets, and a combined pass covers several of them. The park is open daily, with some temples lit in the evening. Trains and minivans run from Bangkok.

The protected area covers about 289 hectares. Settlement here is older than the kingdom: the Khmer had a stronghold on the site around 850 AD. Ayutthaya first fell to Burmese forces in 1569 and recovered before the final sack of 1767.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram is the best documented of the outer temples. King Prasat Thong built it in 1630 as the first temple of his reign, on the site of his mother's home. Its central prang rises about 35 metres and is ringed by four smaller prangs and eight chapels shaped like chedis, laid out to reflect Buddhist cosmology. The Fine Arts Department began restoring it in 1987 and opened it in 1992. The 2011 floods left it under about 2 metres of water, and repairs cost 200 million baht. It sits outside the UNESCO-listed core of the old city.