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Headless Buddhas of Wat Mahathat and the 1767 Sack of Ayutthaya

Headless Buddhas of Wat Mahathat and the 1767 Sack of Ayutthaya

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  #1  
● 12-22-2008, 02:19 PM
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Headless Buddhas of Wat Mahathat and the 1767 Sack of Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya, the capital of the Siamese kingdom for more than four centuries, was sacked and destroyed by the Burmese army in April 1767. Many religious images were defaced during the destruction, and the city was left in ruins.

The modern photographs primarily show rows of headless seated Buddha figures along the gallery walls of Wat Mahathat in Ayutthaya Historical Park. They also include the Buddha head entwined in the roots of a banyan tree, although how the head came to rest there is unknown. Other views show the temple's prang, stupas and surrounding ruins, along with remains at Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Thammikarat. A painting attributed to Johannes Vinckboons depicts Ayutthaya around 1662 or 1663, roughly a century before the sack.

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  #2  
● 04-10-2011, 08:13 AM
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Re: Headless Buddhas of Wat Mahathat and the 1767 Sack of Ayutthaya

a few pix added, lots more to be found on google image search if anyone's interested.



The ancient Siamese capital of Ayuthaya is pleasant town to spend a few days enjoying the ruins and canals and learning a bit of history. When Bangkok was a swampy backwater, Ayutthaya was a powerful military and economic city which dominated central Thailand for 400 years. The best way to visit the complex is by bike. Check out the elephant taxi stand and watch out for elephant taxis in park. The ruins are magical to see at night by foot when the stupas and pagodas are floodlit.
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● 04-10-2011, 10:04 AM
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Re: Headless Buddhas of Wat Mahathat and the 1767 Sack of Ayutthaya

This is beautiful!But where're the heads of the statues?
  #4  
● 04-10-2011, 11:50 AM
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Re: Headless Buddhas of Wat Mahathat and the 1767 Sack of Ayutthaya

This is beautiful!But where're the heads of the statues?
when the burmese army was invading in 1767, they chopped off the heads of all the statues, i went there in 1992 so my memory is a bit vague but i recall the guide telling us that there were around 10'000 buddhas in ayutthaya and all of them were beheaded by the invading army.. lets see if there's anything else online....
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● 04-10-2011, 12:10 PM
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Re: Headless Buddhas of Wat Mahathat and the 1767 Sack of Ayutthaya

updated the original post
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● 04-10-2011, 02:11 PM
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Re: Headless Buddhas of Wat Mahathat and the 1767 Sack of Ayutthaya

when the burmese army was invading in 1767, they chopped off the heads of all the statues, i went there in 1992 so my memory is a bit vague but i recall the guide telling us that there were around 10'000 buddhas in ayutthaya and all of them were beheaded by the invading army.. lets see if there's anything else online....
Thanks for informations.I guess I was too lazy to look :)


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