Wat
Yai Chai Mongkol built in 1357
and restored in 1982 |
Ayutthaya
was the ancient capital of the southern Kingdom of Siam from 1350
until 1767. Founded by King Rama Tibodi I Ayutthaya absorbed Sukhothai,
the older Thai kingdom, and destroyed much of the Cambodian Khmer
kingdom. The Ayutthayans also tried to control the northern kingdom
at Chiang Mai but were unsuccessful. The Ayutthayan kings adopted
Cambodian customs and their laws were based on the Hindu religion.
Located on the Chao Phraya River not far from Bangkok Ayutthaya was
an important center for trade and farming. The area surrounding Ayutthaya
is fertile and known for its rice production. The city once had 1,700
temples and over 4,000 golden images of Buddha. In 1767 the Burmese
virtually destroyed the city in a series of famous battles. Today
the area is mostly ruins with few remaining intact structures. On
the grounds are countless, probably hundreds, statues of Buddha all
with their heads missing. Their heads were cut off by the invading
Burmese. Only a few remain intact including the head. Visitors are
cautioned not to stand behind a headless Buddha and take pictures
as it would be disrespectful.
Our trip to Ayutthaya and Bang-Pa-In Palace would begin with an early
morning ride from Derek's to the Shangri La Hotel where the tour bus
departed. For our 8:30 a.m. departure we arose at 5:00 a.m. and left
the house by 6:00 a.m. We allowed two and a half hours for our short
trip of several miles to the hotel. |
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All
was going well on our short drive until our driver pulled over into
a lane reserved for buses. He was quickly pulled over and given a
ticket by the police. He tried every trick under the Sun to get out
of the ticket to no avail. Even though we couldn't understand a word
he spoke to the policeman it was obvious that he was upset and angry
with them. We did, however, manage to make it to the hotel in time
for our tour. We actually had a whole 15 minutes to spare.
The outbound portion of the tour to Ayutthaya would be on an air-conditioned
bus. The return portion, after visiting Bang-Pa-In Palace, would be
aboard the Ayutthaya Princess river cruise boat on the Chao Phraya
River. |
Anne
standing by the door to the tour bus |
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Wat
Yai Chai Mongkol
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Temple of the
Reclining Buddha
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Temple of the Reclining Buddha contained an immense statue of Buddha,
the only one we've ever seen of Buddha not in his traditional seated
position and, as such, the reclining Buddha represents Buddha after
his death. |
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Ken
and Darla at
Wat Yai Chai Mongkol |
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Views
looking down on the grounds of
Wat Yai Chai Mongkol
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Next
stop the ruins of the ancient capital of Siam, Ayutthaya ... |
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