Thailand- Day 6: June 9th, 2019
Hello my wonderful readers!
We are back in Bangkok ,but this time closer to the Chulalongkorn University Campus.
Today is a cultural day! Extremely excited and have been waiting for this day for awhile. Today we will be going to the historical city of Ayutthaya.
What is Ayutthaya?
The Historic City of Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 until annihilated by the Burmese in 1767 and was the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom. Ayutthaya is now an archaeological ruin, characterized by the remains of tall prangs and Buddhist monasteries of monumental proportion giving an idea of the city’s past size and the splendor of its architecture. The city was at the focus point of three rivers and had a hydraulic system for water management which was technologically extremely advanced and unique in the world at the time.
Once an important center of global diplomacy and commerce, Ayutthaya was laid out according to a systematic city planning grid, consisting of roads, canals, and moats around all the principal structures. The Royal Court of Ayutthaya exchanged ambassadors far and wide, including with the French Court at Versailles and the Mughal Court in Delhi, as well as with imperial courts of Japan and China.
First, we visited: Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. “Wat” signifies a Buddhist temple. This was built in 1900 B.E. (Buddhist Era: an epochal year 0 from 11 March 543 BC, believed to be the date of the death of Gautama Buddha) by King U to accommodate the monks that once were ordained from Phra Wanratana Mahathera Bureau in Ceylon.
Then, we saw: Wat Phananchoeng Worawihan. This Budhist temple is famous for its 42 ft Buddha and was built 600 years ago.
Finally: We went to the Ayutthaya Historical Park which includes the following temples: Wat Mahathat (Budhha head in a tree), Wat Phra Sri Sanphet, Wat Phra Ram, and Wat Ratchaburana.
We finished the day with a boat tour down the Chao Phraya River.
