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Ayutthaya Historical Park

Coordinates: 14°21′N 100°35′E / 14.350°N 100.583°E / 14.350; 100.583
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Historic City of Ayutthaya
UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO sign at the Ayutthaya Historical Park
LocationAyutthaya, Thailand
CriteriaCultural: iii
Reference576
Inscription1991 (15th Session)
Area289 ha
Coordinates14°20′52″N 100°33′38″E / 14.34778°N 100.56056°E / 14.34778; 100.56056
Ayutthaya Historical Park is located in Thailand
Ayutthaya Historical Park
Ayutthaya Historical Park
Location of Ayutthaya Historical Park in Thailand
A map showing major temples and palaces within Ayutthaya Historical Park

Ayutthaya Historical Park (Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์พระนครศรีอยุธยา (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,[a] 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.[1][2] 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.[3] 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.[4]

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[by whom?], 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.[5] The earliest extant reference to Ayutthaya is found in the Royal Northern Chronicle [th], which attributes the foundation of the city to a nobleman from the northern region in the year 944.[b]

The city was captured by the Burmese in 1569. Though not pillaged, it lost "many valuable and artistic objects".[6]: 42–43  It was the capital of the country until its destruction by the Burmese army in 1767.[7]

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.[8]

Park sites

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World Heritage core zone

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

Park sites (buffer zone)

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

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  • Ruins inside Ayutthaya Historical Park
    Ruins inside Ayutthaya Historical Park
  • Wat Phra Si Sanphet
    Wat Phra Si Sanphet
  • Chedi of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet
    Chedi of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet
  • Wat Mahathat
    Wat Mahathat
  • The head of Buddha, Wat Mahathat
    The head of Buddha, Wat Mahathat
  • The Buddha head in tree roots
    The Buddha head in tree roots
  • Reclining Buddha at Wat Lokayasutharam
    Reclining Buddha at Wat Lokayasutharam
  • Wat Ratchaburana
    Wat Ratchaburana
  • Buddha on the prang of Wat Ratchaburana
    Buddha on the prang of Wat Ratchaburana
  • Wat Yanasen
    Wat Yanasen
  • Wat Phra Ram
    Wat Phra Ram
  • Wat Thammikarat
    Wat Thammikarat
  • Altar in Wat Chaiwatthanaram
    Altar in Wat Chaiwatthanaram
  • Headless statues
    Headless statues
  • Wat Chaiwatthanaram
    Wat Chaiwatthanaram

See also

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Notes

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  • a 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.[9]
  • b Calculated based on the text given in the chronicle: "สิ้น 97 ปีสวรรคต ศักราชได้ 336 ปี พระยาโคดมได้ครองราชสมบัติอยู่ ณ วัดเดิม 30 ปี"[10]: 30  which is transcribed 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

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  1. ^ "History of Ayutthaya – Temples & Ruins – Wat Ayodhya". ayutthaya-history.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  2. ^ "History of Ayutthaya – Temples & Ruins – Wat Thammikarat". ayutthaya-history.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  3. ^ Kasetsiri, Charnvit (July 1979). "The Rise of Ayudhya: A History of Siam in the Fourteenth to Fifteenth Centuries" (PDF). michaelvickery.org. p. 31. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  4. ^ "History of Ayutthaya – Temples & Ruins – Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon". ayutthaya-history.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  5. ^ "จารึกศรีจนาศะ" [Śri Canāśa Inscription]. Fine Arts Department (in Thai). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  6. ^ Chakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited
  7. ^ "Historic City of Ayutthaya - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Ayutthaya, Thailand". KhaoSanRoad.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  9. ^ Rotchanaratha, Wina, ed. (1999). Prachum Phongsawadan Chabap Kanchanaphisek Lem Nueng ประชุมพงศาวดาร ฉบับกาญจนาภิเษก เล่ม ๑ [Golden Jubilee Collection of Historical Archives, Volume 1] (in Thai). Bangkok: Fine Arts Department of Thailand. p. 211. ISBN 9744192151.
  10. ^ Royal Northern Chronicle
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