Ayutthaya: The Ruined Capital an Hour From Bangkok

Ayutthaya stands on an island formed by three rivers, the Chao Phraya, the Lopburi and the Pa Sak, about 64 kilometres north of Bangkok. King Ramathibodi, known before his accession as Uthong, founded it in 1351. It was the capital of Siam for 417 years, under some 33 kings, and it absorbed the older kingdom of Sukhothai to the north. UNESCO listed its ruins in 1991 as the Historic City of Ayutthaya.

A world city

The rivers made Ayutthaya a port, although it lies well inland. Ocean-going ships came up the Chao Phraya, and the city traded with China, Japan, India, Persia and Europe. Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, French and Chinese merchants each had their own settlement outside the walls. By the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries it was among the largest cities in the world, and European visitors, struck by its canals, compared it to Venice.

In 1767, after a long siege, a Burmese army took the city, burned it and carried off its people and its treasures. The Siamese did not rebuild it. A new capital was established downstream, first at Thonburi and then at Bangkok, and bricks from the ruins went into its walls. The historical park was created in 1976, after the Fine Arts Department began restoration in 1969.

What to see

The ruins are scattered through a living town, across the island and on the far banks of the rivers. Most are of red brick, once covered in white stucco and gilding. The towers take two forms: the prang, a tall rounded tower inherited from the Khmers, and the bell-shaped chedi.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet. The royal temple, which stood within the palace grounds and had no monks. Its three large chedis in a row, built to hold the ashes of kings, are the best-known view of Ayutthaya.

Wat Mahathat. The religious centre of the city. Its great prang has collapsed, and rows of Buddha figures sit without their heads. The head of one sandstone Buddha has been lifted and enclosed by the roots of a fig tree, and looks out from the trunk.

Wat Ratchaburana. Next to Wat Mahathat, with a well-preserved prang. Gold objects found in its crypt are shown in the Chao Sam Phraya Museum nearby.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram. On the west bank of the river, built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong. A central prang is surrounded by smaller towers on a platform, in a Khmer-inspired plan. It is a popular place to be at sunset.

Wat Phanan Choeng. A working temple on the south-east bank, founded in 1324, before the city itself, around a very large seated Buddha that is still an object of devotion.

How to visit

Ayutthaya is reached from Bangkok by train, by road in a little over an hour, or by boat up the Chao Phraya, which is slow. Train services and departure stations from Bangkok change, so check the current timetable before travelling. Some visitors go one way by river and return by road.

The sites are too far apart to walk. Bicycles and tuk-tuks can usually be hired in the town, and boat trips circle the island, stopping at the riverside temples. Shoulders and knees should be covered at the working temples, and visitors are asked to show respect to the Buddha images and not to climb on the ruins.

For travellers

Ayutthaya is usually seen in a day from Bangkok. An early start is essential: the brick radiates heat by midday. Five temples and the museum are enough. The cool season from November to February is the most comfortable time, and the rivers can be high in the rainy season.

The town is known for its river prawns, grilled and served at restaurants along the water, and for boat noodles. Amanpuri, the Phuket resort, took its architect’s inspiration from Ayutthaya and traditional Thai temple architecture. In Bangkok, the hotels along the same river, among them the Four Seasons, make the natural base.