AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH





HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA



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Recent posts



THE AYUTTHAYA BOAT AND FERRY LANDINGS


15-3-2026


Ayutthaya was called the Venice of the East. The city was a water-based settlement, surrounded by the old Lopburi River since the end of the 16th century, and crossed by many wide canals that drew water from it. Transport was mainly by water, so boats were plentiful in and around the city. Several ferry and boat landings existed for travel to and from the city island. These boat and ferry landings are recorded in the old document “Description of Ayutthaya”, compiled early in the Bangkok era from the memories of people who had lived in Ayutthaya before 1767 CE and in later versions.

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THE ROYAL JETTIES OF AYUTTHAYA


16-3-2026


The three palaces in Ayutthaya, the Grand Palace, the Front Palace, and the Rear Palace, had boat landings.

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KHLONG SRA BUA KILNS


23-3-2026


During the Ayutthaya period, kilns were located along the banks of Khlong Sra Bua and across the area, along what is now Khlong Hua Ro, a section of the old Lopburi River. The Description of Ayutthaya mentions that above Ayutthaya's city island, there were five villages, two of which produced pottery and various kinds of tiles. This area was called Thung Khwan, with the opposite area being Thung Kaeo. Thung Khwan is west of Khlong Sra Bua, and Thung Kaeo is east of Khlong Sra Bua, mainly in the present-day Khlong Sra Bua Sub-district.


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BAN TUM KILNS


23-3-2026


Next to the Khlong Sra Bua Kilns, kilns at Ban Tum were also discovered. A part of this area was excavated in 2018-19 CE by the 3rd Region of the Fine Arts Department. Archaeological research at the Wat Nang Loeng kiln site was further conducted during 2021 CE to preserve the kiln site and develop it into a centre for historical and archaeological education.

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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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