Just outside the Bangkok city limits lies the former capital of Ayuthaya, a beautiful tranquil city of spectacular ruins.

Former Capital

About an hour’s drive from Bangkok, the historic ruins of Ayutthaya recollect the once magnificent capital of the Thais, praised by foreign emissaries as the finest city they had ever seen. Surrounded by rivers and a canal, it flourished under thirty-three Siamese kings from 1350 until the Burmese destroyed it in 1767. The new city stands east of the ruins and the Pa Sak River.

Temples Abound

Of Ayutthaya’s many notable ruins, Wat Phra Meru is one of the best preserved. As well as its beautifully carved ceiling, it has two Buddha images, one of which is reputedly 1,300 years old and from Sri Lanka. Wat Phra Si Samphet was Ayutthaya’s largest temple and a favorite of royalty: the Burmese melted down its 16-meter Buddha image for the 250 kg of gold that covered it. Outside, three stupas holding the ashes of Ayutthaya kings typify the era’s classical architecture. Wat Phanan Choeng, built in the early 1300s, is older than Ayutthaya itself and its origins remain uncertain. Wat Yai Chai Mongkon houses a reclining Buddha. It was a meditation temple, built by King Uthong in 1357. King Naresuan expanded it after defeating the Burmese in 1582.

Museums and Palaces

Other attractions include the Chao Phraya National Museum, Chan Kasem Palace Museum and the Ayutthaya Historical Study Center. The Bang Pa-In Summer Palace (20-km south) is worth visiting for the attractive and varied architecture of the surrounding buildings. Just north of the city is a restored elephant kraal, where wild elephants were last rounded-up and trained in 1903.