[güttsfükk]

Painting of Ayutthaya, ordered by the Dutch East India Company, Amsterdam

Ayutthaya (Thai: อาณาจักรอยุธยา, RTGS: Anachak Ayutthaya, also Ayudhya, [ʔaːnaːtɕ͡àk ʔajúttʰajaː]) was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese (Annamese), Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the city walls. In the sixteenth century, it was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East. The court of King Narai (1656–1688) had strong links with that of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the city in size and wealth to Paris.

The kingdom's vassals included some city-states in the Malay Peninsula.

According to foreign accounts, Ayutthaya was officially known as Siam, but many sources also say that the people of Ayutthaya called themselves Tai, and their kingdom Krung Tai or 'the Kingdom of the Tais'.

Religion

Ayutthaya's main religion was Theravada Buddhism. Many areas of the kingdom also practiced Mahayana Buddhism and, influenced by French Missionaries who arrived through China in the 17th century, some small areas converted to Catholicism.

Ayutthaya city is the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. The city was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong, who came here to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri, and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam. Ayutthaya was named after the city of Ayodhya in India, the birthplace of Rama in the Ramayana (Thai, Ramakien). In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, and the ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was refounded a few kilometers to the east.

It is estimated that Ayutthaya around ca. 1600 had a population of ca. 300,000, and even 1,000,000 around 1700. In that era Ayutthaya belonged thus to the world's largest cities

This is yet another picture from Ayutthaya. Most of the Buddha statues in Ayutthaya premises were beheaded by the Burmese Army during their raid on Thailand. They cut the heads and arms of the Buddha Statues. Burmese are now predominantly Buddhist; I wonder why the Burmese Army were so cruel with the Buddhist statues during that time. Nevertheless, Thais have preserved the ruins of Ayutthaya very meticulously. The heads of Buddhas are being replaced by stone blocks as seen in the pictures.

Source for last pic & quote : http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asi...hoto371874.htm


all other info : wikipedia

all other images : google image search

[güttsfükk]

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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[PoetsOfTheFall]

This is beautiful!But where're the heads of the statues?

[güttsfükk]

Originally Posted by PoetsOfTheFall ↗

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....

[güttsfükk]

updated the original post

[PoetsOfTheFall]

Originally Posted by güttsfükk ↗

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 :)