THE EASTERN AREA





The Eastern Area is bounded north by Khlong Hantra, to the south by Khlong Hantra and Khlong Pho, to the south by Road No 253 and to the west by the Pa Sak and Chao Phraya Rivers.


A mix of historical sites, residential areas, and natural landscapes characterises the area east of Ayutthaya within the Ayutthaya City District. Thung Hantra is the main field in the northern part of this section.


This area is and was crisscrossed by important canals such as Khlong Ayothya-Kudi Dao, Khlong Wat Pradu, Khlong Wat Nang Chi, Khlong Ban Bat, Khlong Kramang, Khlong Khao Mao, Khlong Khanom Tan, Khlong Dusit, Khlong Khao San, Khlong Suan Phlu and many more.


Historians believe that in this area, there was once a pre-Ayutthaya town. The location was probably already populated at the end of the Dvaravati era. There is evidence that a community settled in this area much earlier than 1351 CE, the date of establishment of the city of Ayutthaya. Sources mention that during the reign of Suryavarman I (1002-1050) of Angkor, the Khmers occupied the area and established a stronghold here as an appendage of Lopburi, naming it Ayothya after the ancient and one of the holiest Hindu cities of India, the old capital of Awadh, in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh.


The Eastern Area contains a total of 99 temple sites.