thumb|250px|A map showing major temples and palaces within Ayutthaya Historical Park

Ayutthaya Historical Park ( (Pronunciation)) covers the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, Thailand. The city of Ayutthaya was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1351, though it is likely to be significantly older, based on evidence showing that the area was already populated during the Mon Dvaravati period. Sources further mention that around 850 AD, the Khmers occupied the area and established a stronghold there, naming it Ayodhya, after one of the holiest Hindu cities in India of the same name. The early history of Ayutthaya is connected to this Khmer settlement. Additionally, Prince Damrong has also attested to the existence of a city named Ayodhya, founded by the Khmers ruling from Lopburi at the point where the three rivers meet. An excavation map shows traces of an ancient baray (water reservoir) close to the southwestern tip of Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, which could have been built on a former important Khmer temple complex.

The principal basis for the aforementioned claims is the Śri Canāśa Inscription K.949 inscription, which is dated to the reign of Bhagadatta, a ruler of Qiān Zhī Fú who presided over Si Thep in the 850s. This inscription has frequently been cited as evidence for Ayutthaya's early existence. It has been argued, however, that the inscription may have been relocated to Ayutthaya at a considerably later time than that indicated by its original dating, a view supported by the absence of archaeological materials in Ayutthaya that can be securely attributed to the period in question. The earliest extant reference to Ayutthaya is found in the Thai Northern Chronicle, which attributes the foundation of the city to a nobleman from the northern region in the year 944.

The city was captured by the Burmese in 1569. Though not pillaged, it lost "many valuable and artistic objects". It was the capital of the country until its destruction by the Burmese army in 1767.

In 1969, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand began renovations of the ruins, scaling up the project after the site was declared a historical park in 1976. Part of the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

Park sites

World Heritage core zone

The following monuments are located within the inscribed core zone of the Historic City of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.

  • Wat Mahathat
  • Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya
  • Wat Phra Si Sanphet
  • Wat Phra Ram
  • Wat Thammikarat
  • Wat Lokayasutharam
  • Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bopit
  • Phra Chedi Suriyothai
  • Ayutthaya Historical Study Centre

Park sites (buffer zone)

The following sites lie outside the inscribed area but within the Ayutthaya Historical Park.

  • Wat Chaiwatthanaram
  • Wat Kasattrattrathirat
  • Wat Kudi Dao
  • Wat Phanan Choeng
  • Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
  • Wat Phu Khao Thong
  • Japanese village
  • Baan Hollanda (Dutch village)
  • Elephant camp

<gallery widths="180px" heights="180px">

Thailand - Ayutthaya (24845839706).jpg|Ruins inside Ayutthaya Historical Park

Wat_Phra_Sri_Sanphet,_Ayutthaya_Historical_Park,_Thailand.jpg|Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Templo Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 02.jpg|Chedi of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet

Templo Mahathat, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 08.jpg|Wat Mahathat

Cabeza de Buda en el árbol, Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya 2.tif|The head of Buddha, Wat Mahathat

เศียรพระพุทธรูปในรากโพธิ์.jpg|The Buddha head in tree roots

Wat Lokayasutharam (Temple) Ayuthaya, Thailand.jpg|Reclining Buddha at Wat Lokayasutharam

ワット・ラーチャブーラナ.JPG|Wat Ratchaburana

Wat ratchaburana March 2025 25.jpg|Buddha on the prang of Wat Ratchaburana

Templo Yanasen, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 02.jpg|Wat Yanasen

Templo Phra Ram, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 04.jpg|Wat Phra Ram

Templo Thammikarat, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 08.jpg|Wat Thammikarat

Historic City of Ayutthaya-111235.jpg|Altar in Wat Chaiwatthanaram

Historic City of Ayutthaya-111237.jpg|Headless statues

Sunset at Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya, Thailand.jpg|Wat Chaiwatthanaram

</gallery>

See also

  • History of Thailand
  • List of World Heritage Sites in Thailand
  • Ayutthaya Kingdom
  • Si Satchanalai Historical Park
  • Sukhothai Historical Park
  • Si Thep Historical Park
  • Phu Phra Bat Historical Park
  • Ban Chiang

Notes

  • The city was founded on Friday, the 6th day of the waxing moon of the 5th month, 1893 Buddhist Era, corresponding to Friday, 4 March 1351 Common Era, according to the calculation of the Fine Arts Department of Thailand.
  • Calculated based on the text given in the chronicle: "สิ้น 97 ปีสวรรคต ศักราชได้ 336 ปี พระยาโคดมได้ครองราชสมบัติอยู่ ณ วัดเดิม 30 ปี" which is translated as "...at the age of 97, he passed away in the year 336 of the Chula Sakarat (corresponding to 974 CE). Phraya Kodom reigned in Mueang Wat Doem (later Ayodhya) for 30 years..."

References

  • Thai Tourism Authority: official Ayutthaya historical park website
  • Ayutthaya.net: Ayutthaya Attractions
  • UNESCO: Official Ayutthaya website