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Ayuthaya Historical Study Centre
Although the city's temples are more ruined than surviving, it is the history of the relatively modern kingdom that engages cultural visitors. One of the best places to begin digesting the ancient city's role in international commerce and in domination of the neighbouring city-states is at the Ayuthaya Historical Study Centre.
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Chantharakasem National Museum
The national Chantharakasem National Museum houses a collection of Ayuthaya artefacts and devotional items. The physical home of the museum is the greater draw; it is located in Wang Chan Kasem (Chan Kasem Palace), a former palace built for King Naresuan by his father in 1577. During the Bangkok period, King Rama IV had this palace rebuilt and established as a museum in 1936.
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Chao Sam Phraya National Museum
Like the Egyptian pyramids, the temple's chedi were royal tombs, containing the ashes of the deceased (a departure from the Egyptian tradition) and important golden treasures. Very little of the ceremonial jewellery and ornaments traditionally buried with the ashes of the kings survived into the present day due to rampant thievery, but what was salvageable from the temples was put on display at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.
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Elephant Kraal
In olden times, Thais re-supplied their stocks of elephants with an annual roundup, in which wild herds were chased into captivity for use as beasts of burden or as war machines. The restored Elephant Kraal, or stockade, is an example of the enclosed structures once used as the final destination of the roundups. A huge fence of teak logs planted at 45-degree angles keep the elephants in; the king had a special raised pavilion from which to observe the thrilling event.
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Muslim district
To the west of the Portuguese Settlement is Ayuthaya's Muslim district, a community that dates back to ancient times when many Muslim traders called at the Ayuthaya port.
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Phu Khao Thong
Northwest of town, this landscape-dominating chedi of Phu Khao Thong, translated as Golden Mount, was originally built during a 15-year occupation of Ayuthaya by the Burmese (prior to the 1767 invasion and collapse). The statue in front of the chedi depicts King Naresuan, the great Ayuthaya liberator, surrounded by almost comical statues of fighting cocks.
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Portuguese Settlement
Due south of the island is the historical district of the kingdom's former diplomatic entourages, many of whom arrived during the reign of King Narai. Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese and other foreign representatives came to the Ayuthaya court to encourage trade, serve as advisors or assist in defending the city. One of the eeriest remnants of the foreigners' footprint is the cemetery at the Portuguese Settlement.
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Wat Ayuthaya
East of the island and just beyond the train station is another collection of ruins in a more pastoral setting than central Ayuthaya. Tourist groups are rare out here and most of the grounds are kept trimmed by local farmers' livestock. Continue past the graveyard of spirit houses to Wat Ayuthaya , which has a bell-shaped chedi on a square pedestal, an early Ayuthaya characteristic.
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Wat Chai Wattanaram
Everyone's favourite sunset shot, Wat Chai Wattanaram is one of Ayuthaya's most impressive homages to the Angkor/Khmer style. A central prang is flanked by minor prang arranged in each cardinal direction, in a prime riverside setting. The temple is said to have been built in the 17th century by King Prasat Thong in honour of his mother and was extensively restored in the 1980s. These ruins can be reached by boat or by bicycle via a nearby bridge.
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Wat Kudi Dao
East of the island and just beyond the train station is another collection of ruins in a more pastoral setting than central Ayuthaya. Tourist groups are rare out here and most of the grounds are kept trimmed by local farmers' livestock. Wat Kudi Dao is charmingly ruined with grasses sprouting between the roofless structures. Looking closer at the windows and gates there is an impressive amount of surviving details, often described as French architectural influences.
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Wat Maheyong
East of the island and just beyond the train station is another collection of ruins in a more pastoral setting than central Ayuthaya. Tourist groups are rare out here and most of the grounds are kept trimmed by local farmers' livestock. Wat Maheyong is an operational temple with a popular weekend meditation retreat held in a leafy courtyard beside the temple ruins. The historic portion of the temple was built in 1438.
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Wat Na Phra Meru
This Wat Na Phra Meru escaped destruction during the Burmese attack in 1767 because it was used as the invading army's headquarters. It was also the site where the Burmese king was fatally injured after firing a defective cannon. His death ended the sacking of Ayuthaya.
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Wat Phanan Choeng
One of the major Ayuthaya highlights, the busy and modern-looking Wat Phanan Choeng is a popular pilgrimage destination for weekenders from Bangkok. Although the original temple allegedly pre-dates the Ayuthaya era, many Thai-Chinese regard this temple with special reverence because of its later benefactor Sam Po Kong (Zheng He), a Chinese explorer who visited Ayuthaya in 1407.
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Wat Phra Mahathat
The centre of the old sacred city, Wat Phra Mahathat was built during the reign of King Borom Rachathirat I in the 14th century. But it is the handiwork of the encroaching forest that has created the temple's most visited image: the Buddha head embedded in twisted tree roots. The intertwining of a sacred image with nature is extremely auspicious in Thai Buddhism and the site often receives merit-makers.
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Wat Phra Ram
Displaying a sturdy prang , Wat Phra Ram has a complicated lineage, indicative of much of Ayuthaya's chronicled structures. Claims of construction are often attributed to numerous kings throughout a 300-year time period. Some accounts state that this was the cremation site of King U Thong (the founder of the Ayuthaya kingdom).
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Wat Phra Si Sanphet
One of the most photographed temples in Ayuthaya, Wat Phra Si Sanphet attracts the shutterbugs for its elegant queue of three bell-shaped chedi (stupas), which epitomise the quintessential Ayuthaya architectural style. Built in the late-14th century, the compound was used for important royal ceremonies and once contained a 16m-high standing Buddha (Phra Si Sanphet) covered with 250kg of gold, which was melted down by the Burmese conquerors.
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Wat Ratburana
Across Th Naresuan from Wat Phra Mahathat, the Wat Ratburana retains one of the best preserved prang on the island. It was built in the 15th century by King Borom Rachathirat II on the cremation site for his two brothers who had died battling each other in hopes of assuming the throne. Monument building in Ayuthaya was often done as an act of merit for a deceased royal elder rather than for glorification of the present ruler.
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Wat Thammikarat
To the west of Wat Ratburana, Wat Thammikarat sees fewer visitors and is a pleasant place to sit among the ruins. The most prominent feature is a central chedi surrounded by singha (guardian lion) sculptures. It is believed by the local people that the temple pre-dated the Ayuthaya period, a claim unsupported by architectural evidence.
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Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
Built by King U Thong in 1357, Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon is a quiet old place that was once a famous meditation wat. According to some legends, the monks at this temple were consulted by conspirators for an auspicious time to stage a royal coup. Most impressive though is the large 7m-long reclining Buddha, obviously enjoying the sunshine. The temple is southeast of the town proper and is best reached by motorised transport.
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Wihaan Mongkhon Bophit
Next door to Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the sanctuary hall of Wihaan Mongkhon Bophit was reconstructed at different points between 1930 and 1957, and provides an interesting counterpoint between modern and ancient temple architecture. Step inside to view one of Thailand's largest Buddha images, a 15th-century bronze casting.
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