Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (, ), or locally and simply Ayutthaya is the capital of

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, or locally and simply Ayutthaya (historically Juthia or Judia), is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Ang Thong, Lopburi, Saraburi, Pathum Than ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. Ayutthaya was the capital of the

Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

. Located on an island at the confluence of the

Chao Phraya The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

and Pa Sak rivers, Ayutthaya is the birthplace of the founder of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

King Rama I Phutthayotfa Chulalok (born Thongduang; 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), also known by his regnal name Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (now Thailand) and the first King of Siam from the reigning Chakri dynasty. He asce ...

. The ruins of the old city are preserved in the

Ayutthaya Historical Park Ayutthaya Historical Park (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, though it is likely to be significantly olde ...

Etymology

Fra Mauro World Map detail South East Asian mainland

The name ''Ayutthaya'' is derived from Sanskrit अयोध्य -

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

and is from the Thai national epic ''

Ramakien The (, , ; ; sometimes also spelled ) is one of Thailand's national epics. It is a Thai version of the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana'', and an important part of the Thai literature, Thai literary canon. King Rama VI was the first person t ...

''; (from Khmer: ''preah'' ព្រះ ) is a prefix for a noun concerning a royal person, and (from

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

: ''nagara'') designates an important or capital city.

History

Prior to Ayutthaya's traditional founding date, archaeological and written evidence has revealed that Ayutthaya may have existed as early as the late 13th century as a water-borne port town. Further evidence of this can be seen with

Wat Phanan Choeng Wat Phanan Choeng (pronunciation is a Buddhism, Buddhist temple in the city of Ayutthaya historical park, Ayutthaya, Thailand, on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River at the south-eastern side of the confluence of the Chao Phraya River, Cha ...

, which was founded in 1324, 27 years before Ayutthaya's official foundation. Ayutthaya was officially founded in 1351 by King

U Thong King U-thongThe Royal Institute.'List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. (; ) or King Ramathibodi I (; ; , 1314–1369) was the first king of the kingdom Ayutthaya (now part of Thailand), reigning from 1351 to 1369. Origins and Reign He was known as Pr ...

, who went there to escape a

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

outbreak in

Lopburi Lopburi (, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town ('' thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Thale Chup Son of Muea ...

and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the

or Siam. Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai. It is estimated that Ayutthaya by the year 1600 had a population of about 300,000, with the population perhaps reaching 1,000,000 around 1700, making it one of the world's largest cities at that time, when it was sometimes known as the "

Venice of the East The following is a list of places which have been nicknamed Venice of the East (a reference to the city of Venice, Italy). List Similar * Kampong Phluk * Ko Panyi See also * Venezuela, country whose name means "Little Venice" * Venice of the ...

". In 1767, the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The ruins of the old city are preserved in the

Ayutthaya historical park Ayutthaya Historical Park (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, though it is likely to be significantly olde ...

, which is recognised internationally as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. The ruins, characterised by the ''prang'' (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries, give an idea of the city's past splendour. Modern Ayutthaya was refounded a few kilometres to the east.

Population

Since 2005, the population of Ayutthaya has been declining.

Geography

The city is about north of

Climate

Ayutthaya, located in the central plains, is affected by three seasons: *Hot Season: March – May *Rainy season: June – October *Cool season: November – February

Ayutthaya City Sites

Notable cultural sites

Museums

*Ayutthaya Historical Study Centre *

Chao Sam Phraya National Museum Chao may refer to: People * Chao (surname), various Chinese surnames (including 晁 and 巢, as well as non-Pinyin spellings) * Zhou (surname) (周), may also be spelled Chao * Zhao (surname) (趙/赵), may also be spelled Chao in Taiwan and som ...

: The museum was specially display the objects excavated at Wat Racha Burana and Wat Maha That.

Other tourism sites

*Wang Luang *Wat Suwan Dararam *St. Joseph's Church * Baan Hollanda The city is located at the confluence of the

and Pa Sak rivers, and on the main north–south railway linking

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

. The old city is on an island formed by a bend of the Chao Phraya on the west and south sides, the Pa Sak on the east side and the Klong Muang canal on the northern side. The approximate centre of the old city is .

Ayutthaya Night Market

The market offers a plethora of shopping opportunities, including a wide variety of food, clothing, and handicrafts. Visitors can enjoy traditional Thai dishes such as pad Thai, mango sticky rice, and tom yum soup, as well as a range of international cuisine. The market is also famous for its impressive array of souvenirs, including handmade bags, jewelry, and textiles. The atmosphere is lively and energetic, with street performers, music, and colorful lights adding to the festive ambiance.

The Floating Market of Ayutthaya

There is a lesser-known

floating market A floating market is a market (place), market where goods are sold from boats. Originating in times and places where water transport played an important role in daily life, most floating markets operating today mainly serve as tourist attractio ...

in Ayutthaya called Klong Sabua which is more popular with Thai tourists than foreign travellers. The main attraction is a Water Theatre, said to be the only one of its kind in Thailand, featuring live performances of Thai folk tales and Sepaa musicals.

Transport

Ayutthaya is accessible by air and rail.

Air

The closest airport is Bangkok's

Don Mueang International Airport Don Mueang International Airport — known as Bangkok International Airport before 2006 — is one of two international airports serving Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, the other being Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). The airport is considered ...

, a hub for regional budget carriers. An elevated walkway connects Terminal 1 to the Don Muang Train Station, where Ayutthaya-bound trains regularly roll through.

Rail

Trains to Ayutthaya leave Bangkok's Hua Lamphong Station approximately every hour between 04:20 am. and 10:00 pm. The 3rd class fare is 20 baht for the 1.5 hour trip. Train schedules are available from the information booth at Hua Lamphong Station, Bangkok.

In fiction

*A Thailand-themed town named "Ayothaya" appears in the personal computer

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

Ragnarok Online ''Ragnarok Online'' (, ''Rageunarokeu Onrain'' marketed as ''Ragnarök'', and alternatively subtitled ''The Final Destiny of the Gods'') is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Gravity (Korean company), Gravity based ...

''. *Ayutthaya is a stage in Soul Calibur II. *The temples in Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Ratchaburana from Ayutthaya appear in

Street Fighter II is a 1991 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcade game, arcades. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter (video game), Street Fighter''. Designed by Yoshiki O ...

Kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

(as "Stone City"),

Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The original ''Mortal Kombat (1992 video game), Mortal Kombat'' arcade game spawned Lis ...

Mortal Kombat Annihilation ''Mortal Kombat Annihilation'' is a 1997 American Martial arts film, martial arts fantasy film directed by John R. Leonetti in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut. Based on the ''Mortal Kombat'' video game franchise, it is the sec ...

, and throughout Mortal Kombat Conquest. *The lying Buddha statue from the Ayutthaya ruins appears in Sagat's stage in most of the

Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...

games. *It was featured in the 2005 movie " The King Maker". *The 1630 destruction of the Japanese quarter of Ayutthaya at the orders of

Prasat Thong Prasat ThongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. (, ; c. 1599–1655; 1629–1655) was the first king of the Prasat Thong dynasty, the fourth dynasty of the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom. Before being king, he defeated a rebellion led ...

and its consequences is central to one of the stories in the

1632 series The ''1632'' series, also known as the 1632-verse or ''Ring of Fire'' series, is an alternate history book series and Spin-off (media), sub-series created, primarily co-written, and coordinated by American author Eric Flint and published by Ba ...

anthology '' Ring of Fire III'', "All God's Children in the Burning East" by

Garrett W. Vance Garrett may refer to: Places in the United States * Garrett, Illinois, a village * Garrett, Indiana, a city * Garrett, Floyd County, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Garrett, Meade County, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Garrett, ...

. *In the 2010

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

game Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the main characters visit the city of 'Ayuthay', which draws heavily on Thai culture and architecture. *A Thailand-themed map named "Ayutthaya" appears in the video game

Overwatch ''Overwatch'' (abbreviated as OW) is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment. ''Overwatch (video game), Overwatch'' was released in 2016 with a success ...

. *Ayutthaya was featured in the 2016 video game

Civilization VI ''Sid Meier's Civilization VI'' is a 2016 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K (company), 2K. The mobile and Nintendo Switch ports were published by Aspyr Media. It is the sequel to ''Civilization V'' ...

as a non-playable city-state, boosting culture point generation in whichever civilization it is currently allied with.

Gallery

File:Ayutthaya, Elephants, Thailand.jpg, Elephants File:Ayutthaya, Elephant festival, Thailand.jpg, Elephant File:Ayutthaya, Monk, Thailand.jpg, Buddhist monk in Ayutthaya File:Templo Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 16.jpg, Wat Phra Si Sanphet File:Templo Mahathat, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 05.jpg, Mahathat,

File:Mercado flotante, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 02.jpg, Floating market of Ayutthaya Templo Thammikarat, Ayutthaya, Tailandia, 2013-08-23, DD 07.jpg, Thammikarat temple File:Ayutthaya city at night, Thailand.jpg, Ayutthaya city centre at night

Notes

The city was founded on Friday, the 6th day of the waxing moon of the 5th month, 1893

Buddhist Era The Buddhist calendar is a set of lunisolar calendars primarily used in Tibet, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam as well as in Malaysia and Singapore and by Chinese populations for religious or officia ...

, corresponding to Friday, 4 March 1351

Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the ...

, according to the calculation of the

Fine Arts Department of Thailand The Fine Arts Department (, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established by King Vajiravudh in 1912, split o ...

References

External links

*http://www.ayutthaya.go.th/eng_travel.htm Website of municipality * {{Authority control Populated places in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province 1350 establishments in Asia Populated places established in the 1350s Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Thailand Cities and towns in Thailand 14th-century establishments in Thailand Populated places on the Chao Phraya River River islands of Thailand