AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH





HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA



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Recent posts



PHRA NON JAK SRI


6-4-2025


In the "Testimony of the King from Wat Pradu Songtham," eight sacred places are listed outside the city of Ayutthaya, which have been the glory of the capital since ancient times. One of these eight places is Wat Phra Non Jak Sri, which features a reclining Buddha 47 meters long. The image of Phra Non Jak Sri is said to predate the Ayutthaya era (1351-1767 CE).


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Phra Pathawi


28-2-2025


In the "Geographical description of Ayutthaya: Documents from the Palace", there are eight sacred places mentioned outside the city of Ayutthaya, being the glory of the capital since olden times. One of these eight places is Phra Pathawi, located at Wat Phra Phuttha Chai in Nong Pla Lai Sub-district of Sara Buri, featuring a natural relief-like image of the Buddha on a limestone rock face. The location is 8 Km south of the centre of Saraburi City and 33 Km from Phra Phuttha Bat.

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EARTHQUAKES AND AYUTTHAYA


16-4-2025


The earthquake in Myanmar on 28 March 2025 CE and the tremors felt in some locations in Thailand are still fresh in the mind it is an opportunity to evaluate the impact on Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya is located within the Chao Phraya River basin, which is characterised by deep alluvial deposits. These soft sediments amplify seismic waves and increase ground shaking intensity during an earthquake, even if the epicentre is far from the area. Several fault lines crisscross Thailand, but not all pose a significant threat to Ayutthaya, which is not located on a major fault line. Ayutthaya has not experienced significant direct damage from earthquakes in recent history.

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PHRA PRATHON


16-3-2025


In the "Geographical description of Ayutthaya: Documents from the Palace", there are eight sacred places mentioned outside the city of Ayutthaya, being the glory of the capital since olden times. One of these eight places was Phra Prathon. Phra Prathon was in the centre of the legendary Dvaravati city of Nakhon Chai Sri and on the premises of present Wat Phra Prathon Chedi Worawihan in Phra Prathom Chedi Sub-district of Nakhon Pathom City District.

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AYUTTHAYA HIGHLIGHTS



Wat Racha Burana - also called the Monastery of the Royal Repairs or the Monastery of the Royal Restoration - is located on the city island in the central area of Ayutthaya in Tha Wasukri Sub-district. The temple is situated on the corner of the present Chikun Road and Naresuan Road, opposite Wat Maha That and near the former Pa Than bridge.


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Wat Phra Si Sanphet is situated on the city island in the Ayutthaya Historical Park in the Pratu Chai Sub-district. It has been registered as a national historic site by the Fine Arts Department since 5 March 1935 CE. This monastery was the most important temple of Ayutthaya and was situated within the Grand Palace grounds. It served as a model for the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok.

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Wat Phra Ram is a restored temple ruin located in the Ayutthaya Historical Park in Pratu Chai Sub-district situated close to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet in a swampy area called Bueng Phra Ram. The monastery was constructed on the cremation site of the first Ayutthaya monarch, King Ramathibodi I (reign 1351-1369 CE).

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Wat Maha That, or the Monastery of the Great Relic, is located on the city island in the central part of Ayutthaya in the Tha Wasukri Sub-district. The temple is situated on the corner of the present Chikun Road and Naresuan Road.


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Wat Phukhao Thong, or the Monastery of the Golden Mount, is located off the city island in Thung Phukhao Thong, nearly three kilometres northwest of the centre of the city of Ayutthaya in the Phukhao Thong Sub-district. Thung Phukhao Thong is bordered on the west by the present Chao Phraya River, which occupied the bed of the Bang Kaeo River in the mid-19th century.

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Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, or the Great Monastery of Auspicious Victory, is located off the city island in the southeast of Ayutthaya in the Phai Ling Sub-district. In the past, it bears other names such as Wat Pa Kaeo, Wat Chao Phraya Thai and Wat Yai Chaiya Mongkhon. Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon is situated in or just outside an ancient city known as Ayothya.

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Wat Phutthaisawan, or the Monastery of Buddhist Kingship, is located in the southern area of Ayutthaya in the Samphao Lom Sub-district, on the south bank of the Chao Phraya River and east of Khlong Thakian. It is opposite the mouth of Khlong Chakrai Yai. The temple complex faces east towards the Khu Cham and is bordered on the north by the Chao Phraya River.

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Wat Chai Watthanaram, or the Monastery of the Temple for the Advancement of Victory, as Richard Cushman translate it, is a restored ruin situated off the city island in the western area of Ayutthaya in the Ban Pom Sub-district. The large monastery is located on the west bank of the present Chao Phraya River in front of the Siriyalai Palace, which is directly across the river.

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