Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya, Thailand
Might as well carry on with Thailand, since it’s Wesak / Buddha Purnima, and I have pretty much nothing else to write about. Here’re some pictures of Ayutthaya, the previous capital of Siam (Thailand). It was ransacked and destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century (they’re arch rivals and frequently waged wars). It is named after the Indian city of Ayodhya, the birthplace of the Hindu deity Rama, and the setting of the Ramayana epic, which features prominently in the culture and arts of Thailand and South East Asia.
Somehow or other, we always end up in Ayutthaya on visits to Bangkok. This is the third time in memory that I’ve visited. The first, I have little recollection, apart from remembering that it was quite a nice place, with lots of ruins and statues of Buddha draped in yellow cloth. I might have visited with Michael Har, a colleague and friend from my Ireka days (don’t really remember). Those were the days of the film camera (late 90’s or early 2000’s), so there might still be some photos tucked away in some boxes, somewhere…
The second visit, I remember vividly. It was raining cats and dogs, and whatever God could throw down. We spent the whole day waiting for the rain to subside, looking at ruins from the confines of our car, or was it a bus? We finally braved the rain and explored a little of the ruins in pouring rain, and were thoroughly drenched, nice! (See pictures of our exploits in my earlier posts of Apr 2009 and Feb 2006). This was the last trip the family made overseas with my beloved Granny, who was becoming increasingly frail due to old age. I remember changing my plans from visiting East Malaysia and Brunei, to visiting Thailand with the family. Glad I did this as she passed away not many years after this.
And here’re pictures of our third visit – in burning sunshine, for a complete change. Nice for a thorough suntan, which the missus wasn’t very happy about!
Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya - with leaning towers, half-destroyed temples and headless Buddhas
The Buddha of the Tree, at Wat Mahathat – a famous postcard / souvenir view of Ayutthaya
Views of the Chedi's (Thai stupas) of Wat Phra Si Sanphet – at the heart of the Ayutthaya Historical Park, this was where we braved the rain in our last visit
Temple at Wat Phra Si Sanphet
A Sleeping Buddha near Wat Phra Si Sanphet (I think it is Wat Lokkayasutharam, thank you Google Map), how can a post on Ayutthaya not have a Sleeping Buddha?
Wat Chaiwatthanaram – reminds me of the Temple of Doom, with a Khmer (Cambodian) styled prang (central spire)
Wat Phu Khao Thong
Wat Yai Chaimongkon, Ayutthaya, Thailand
Buddhas at the Wat Yai Chaimonkon
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