Ayutthaya Horizon - Historic City and UNESCO World Heritage Site First published 2015 Copyright Š 2015 by Li-Zenn Publishing Limited, Thailand Li-Zenn Publishing Limited Publisher: Managing Director: Deputy Managing Director: Executive Director:
Nithi Sthapitanonda Suluck Visavapattamawon Pisut Lertdumrikarn Prabhakorn Vadanyakul Kiattisak Veteewootacharn
Editor: Managing Editor: Graphic Designer: Editorial Assistant:
Nithi Sthapitanonda Pisut Lertdumrikarn Siriyakorn Urassayanan Panphim Jaipanya Chava Wongthai
81 Sukhumvit 26, Klongton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 Thailand T 66 (0) 2259 2096, F 66 (0) 2661 2017 li-zenn@li-zenn.com, www.li-zenn.com Distributor :
Li-Zenn Publishing Limited 81 Sukhumvit 26, Klong Ton, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Thailand T 66 (0) 2259 2096, F 66 (0) 2661 2017 li-zenn@li-zenn.com, www.li-zenn.com
All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means-graphic, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage and retrieval systems without prior written permission from publisher. National Library of Thailand Cataloging in Publication Data Krisada Boonchaleow. Ayutthaya Horizon .-- Bangkok : Li-Zenn, 2015. 112 p. -- (Horizon). 1. Thailand--Pictures, illustrations, etc.. I. Title. 915.93022 ISBN: 987-616-7800-54-7 Printed by Tiger Printing (Hong Kong) To find out about all our publications, Please visit www.li-zenn.com, www.li-zennpub.com There you can browse and download our current catalog and buy any titles that are print.
The Publisher would like to thank the following organizations for their generous support: Office of His Majesty Principal Private Secretary Apichat Todilokvech, Governor of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province All photos in this book were prepared by Krisada Boonchaleow, with the exception of those indicated below: Lad Chado Municipality, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya - page 94-95 Anantara Cruises - page 96 Mekhala Cruise by Asian Oasis Travel - page 32, page 97 (top right) Front cover: Silhouette ruins in sunset at Wat Phra Sri Sanphet
The province of Ayutthaya, or to give it its official name ‘Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya’, lies in Thailand’s central plains region around 76 kilometers north of Bangkok. Ayutthaya was established by King U-Thong as the second capital of the Kingdom of Siam, following its original capital further north at Sukhothai.
was enjoying a golden age among the world’s greatest cities, with as many as one million inhabitants. It had become a dynamic political, economic, technological and arts powerhouse. Encrusted with over 400 palaces and temples ornamented in gold, some said it was the finest city in the world.
Ayutthaya endured as the kingdom’s vibrant capital for over 400 years, from 1350-1767.
Its glory days were not to last, however, as years of incessant bloody wars with the neighboring Burmese came to a head in 1767. The city was sacked and raised almost to the ground, leaving only a scattering of the finest examples of its architecture, artefacts and culture that survive to this day.
The beautiful and distinguished city was strategically located at the point where the Pa Sak and Lopburi rivers merge into the Chao Phraya ‘River of Kings’, which flows mightily on to the Gulf of Thailand. The confluence of the three rivers forms a natural island that became the glittering heart of the city. By the 17th century, Ayutthaya was well established as one of the busiest ports in Asia, where merchants from China, Japan, India, Persia and Europe conducted business. The city’s international renown was propelled to another level in 1686 when King Narai the Great established a Siamese embassy at the court of King Louis the 14th of France. By the early 18th century, Ayutthaya
Painstaking renovations began in the mid 20th century as the Thai government officially declared the area a Historical Park. Some years later, in 1991, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) accorded Ayutthaya the distinction of being a World Heritage Site. UNESCO based the prestigious designation on the outstanding preservation of Ayutthaya’s historic treasures in the fields of art, architecture and culture that so effectively evoke its former – and in many ways, still extant – greatness.
Set on a roundabout along the road leading to the picturesque island city of Ayutthaya, Wat Sam Pleum radiates all the traits of a distinguished landmark and icon.
Wian Tien religious festival at Wat Maheyong, where thousands of Buddhists bearing lighted candles converge to circumambulate the ordination hall together.
Making offerings of food and drinks is one of the most fundamental and frequently practiced of all Buddhist rituals.
Among Bang Pa-In Palace’s architectural gems is the Corinthian-styled Waropas Piman Pavillion (facing page). The State Railways of Thailand celebrates its anniversaries and special holidays by scheduling nostalgic steam engine journeys to Bang Pa-In from Hua Lamphong, the main train station in Bangkok.
Wat Worachet Tharam and the constructs in its environs have been meticulously restored by the Thai Fine Arts Department to preserve their original qualities. Wat Lokaya Sutharam (facing page) is home to a stunning two-meter-long, eight-meter-high reclining Buddha typical of the Ayutthaya era.
Located in the Grand Palace compound, Wat Pra Sri Sanphet’s status as the site of royal ceremonies made it the most important temple in Ayutthaya. When the city was sacked in 1767, the temple was looted and mostly destroyed, save for three stupas enshrining the ashes of three Thai kings that miraculously escaped the onslaught.
Only in Ayutthaya can Songkran (Thai New Year) revelers celebrate in the awesome company of elephants.
In its heyday, Ayutthaya was arguably the ultimate water-based settlement. Nowadays that precious liquid resource is harnessed to make the province one of the country’s most productive rice growing areas. Row of rice barges along the banks of Pasak River in the early morning (facing page).
AYUTTHAYA HORIZON
Krisada Boonchaleow joy_49mu@hotmail.com Admired with fineness and attentiveness in architecture, Krisada Boonchaleow decided to start his dream to become an architectural photographer in 2010. His interest has then been specific in large scale projects, like cityscapes and natural landscapes. Surely, every of his shots does not express only the beauty but the real spirit in it.