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We have visited most of the important temples around Ayutthaya Historical Park. Somehow we also managed to skip one or two. In any case, we advise that you need about two full days to cover most of the sites. This amount of time is the same whether you use a bike, a car, or a touring coach. Most visitors will only spend a few hours in the old capital, but this will not allow you to have a full overview of its culture and history.
The history and culture of Ayutthaya can be divided into three main period :
The Early Ayutthaya Period, the Middle Period, and the Late Ayutthaya Period.
From an architectural viewpoint, we can make simple distinction between the three periods. During the first period, the Prang (adapted from Khmer architecture) was the most prominent structure within the temple compound. During the middle period, the chedi (or stupa), often in Sri Lankan (rounded) style became the most visible monument. During the later Ayutthaya period, the Ubosoth or Coronation Hall became larger and larger, and while the prangs and chedis are still there, they are less prominent.
Please bear in mind, that quite a few of the older temples have been restored. Therefore elements of newer architecture may be seen in the older temple compounds.
We visited the following wats (or temples) : Important and/or extensively covered temples are in bold. Temples in the Early Ayutthaya period :
Wat Phutthai Sawan
Wat Som
Wat Mahathat
Wat Ratchaburana
Wat Phra Ram
Middle Ayutthaya period :
Wat Maheyong
Wat Phra Si Sanphet
Wat Thammikarat
Late Ayutthaya period :
Wat Chai Wattanaram
Wat Na Phramen
Wat Kasatthirat
Wat Sala Phun
Wat Choeng Tha
Wat Phu Khao Thong
Wat Worachetharam
Add-on : The Prang in Khmer and Ayutthaya Architecture.
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Prang at Wat Phutthai Sawan, early Ayutthaya period. 'Thai'-styled prang (rounded). The top of the prang tapers off gradually. |
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Images by G.V., Bangkok, copyrighted.
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