1000 Places to See Before You Die 25 - Ayutthaya, Thailand

Ayutthaya is situated 80 km from Bangkok and it was that nation’s capital for a good 4 centuries, from 1350 AD to 1767 AD when it was destroyed by a Burmese army. 


Wat Yai Chai Mongkol





Today it is a must-see on any trip to Thailand as it is absolutely loaded with temples and statues of the Buddha. The famous “Buddha head in tree roots” is also located here. Be warned, though. It is not very big. For some reason I always thought it was massive, but it is close to lifesize, so don’t expect more than that. 






The huge amount of temples and statues were built by 33 different kings when the city was in its prime. The area was declared a historical park in 1976 and renovation work begun in previous years turned even more serious. Part of the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. 






You can visit the city from Bangkok, sailing up the Chao Phraya River, The River of Kings, or you can go by road, which is what we did. We only had half a day in Ayutthaya, due to a packed Thailand itinerary, but I feel like we saw most of the good stuff. 


All facts are from “1000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz and Wikipedia. 

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