Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city)

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (Thai: พระนครศรีอยุธยา, pronounced [pʰráʔ ná(ʔ).kʰɔ̄ːn sǐː ʔā.jút.tʰā.jāː]), commonly known locally as Ayutthaya, is the capital of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province in Thailand. It lies on an island at the confluence of the Chao Phraya and Pa Sak rivers. Ayutthaya was the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and, between the 14th and 18th centuries, grew into one of the world's largest cities and a major hub of diplomacy and commerce, before its destruction during the Burmese invasion of 1767.

Today, Ayutthaya is a major centre of cultural tourism, while the surrounding area forms part of Thailand's industrial and transport corridor north of Bangkok; its historic core is protected as the Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The name Ayutthaya is derived from Sanskrit अयोध्य - Ayodhya and is from the Thai national epic Ramakien; phra (from Khmer: preah ព្រះ ) is a prefix for a noun concerning a royal person, and nakhon (from Pali: nagara) designates an important or capital city.

Ayutthaya was officially founded in 1351^[a] by King Uthong, who went there to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lopburi and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya Kingdom or Siam. Archaeological and written evidence has revealed that Ayutthaya was inhabited as early as the late 13th century, before the arrival of Uthong.^{[2]: 44–5} Further evidence of this can be seen with Wat Phanan Choeng, which was founded in 1324.^[3]

Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai.^[4] Early Western accounts describe Ayutthaya as a "noble" and "wealthy" city.^[5] In the late Ayutthaya period, European visitors described it as among the world's wealthiest and most cosmopolitan cities.^[6] It is estimated that by the year 1600, Ayutthaya 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,^[7] a period during which UNESCO describes Ayutthaya as flourishing into one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a center of global diplomacy and commerce,^[4] with a systematic city-planning grid of roads, canals, and moats supported by an extremely advanced hydraulic water-management system,^[4] when it was sometimes known as the "Venice of the East".^[8][9]

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,^[10] which is recognised internationally as a World Heritage Site. The ruins, characterised by the prang (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries, give an idea of the city's past splendour.^[4]

Modern Ayutthaya was refounded a few kilometres to the east. Although the former royal capital never regained its previous political prominence, the area remained inhabited and gradually developed into a provincial capital. Over time, conservation and archaeological work concentrated on the ruined core of the old city, while the modern urban centre expanded beyond the island. Today, Ayutthaya's historic monuments and cultural landscape continue to shape the city's identity and economy, particularly through heritage tourism and religious pilgrimage.

Since 2005, the population of Ayutthaya has been declining.^[11]

The city is located about 40 miles (64 km) north of Bangkok, at the confluence of the Chao Phraya, Lopburi and Pa Sak rivers, and on the main north–south railway linking Chiang Mai to Bangkok. 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.

Ayutthaya, located in the central plains, is affected by three seasons:

• Hot Season: March – May
• Rainy season: June – October
• Cool season: November – February

• Ayutthaya Historical Study Centre: A research-oriented museum and interpretation centre focusing on the history, urban development, and archaeology of Ayutthaya. It provides background information on the Ayutthaya Kingdom and serves as an educational hub for both scholars and the general public.
• Chao Sam Phraya National Museum: A national museum established to house and display high-value artifacts excavated primarily from Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat. Its collections include Buddhist relics, gold regalia, jewellery, votive tablets, and sculptures from the Ayutthaya period, as well as later historical periods.

• Wang Luang
• Wat Suwan Dararam
• St. Joseph's Church
• Baan Hollanda
• Japanese Village

The Ayutthaya Night 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.^[28]

Khlong Sabua is a floating market in Ayutthaya; it is more popular with Thai tourists than foreign travellers. The main attraction is a Water Theatre featuring live performances of Thai folk tales and musicals.^[29]

Ayutthaya is accessible by air and rail.

The closest airport is Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport, 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.^[30]

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.^[31]

The Ayutthaya period is considered a formative era for Thai literature, characterized by the development of diverse poetic forms such as klong (Thai: โคลง), chan (Thai: ฉันท์), and lilit (Thai: ลิลิต). Early works were primarily religious or ceremonial, such as the Lilit Ongkan Chaeng Nam (Incantation of the Water of Allegiance).

The reign of King Narai (1656–1688) represented a major literary peak, during which the first Thai textbook, Chindamani (Thai: จินดามณี), was produced to formalize the language against increasing foreign influence. Other significant courtly works from this era include the epic poem Lilit Phra Lo and the development of nirat (travel poetry), which merged romantic themes with observations of journeys.

Beyond courtly literature, the period saw the emergence of popular oral traditions, most notably the epic of Khun Chang Khun Phaen. Although its modern written form was compiled later, the story originated as folk ballads (sepha) during the late Ayutthaya period, providing insights into contemporary social customs and daily life. The late Ayutthaya period under King Borommakot experienced a further resurgence of literature, focusing on Buddhist jataka tales and refined courtly poetry, and the Ramakien (the Thai version of the Ramayana), which became a foundational text for royal Khon (masked dance) performances.

Ayutthaya architecture is generally categorized into three distinct phases. The early period (1350–1488) was heavily influenced by Khmer and Lopburi art, characterized by the prominent use of the tall prang as the principal monument of the temple complex, such as at Wat Ratchaburana.

During the middle period (1488–1629), the influence of Sukhothai architecture became more pronounced. The bell-shaped Sinhalese stupa (Thai: เจดีย์ทรงระฆัง) emerged as the dominant structure, replacing the prang as the center of the temple, most famously seen at the three iconic stupas of Wat Phra Si Sanphet.

The late period (1629–1767) is noted for the refinement of architectural proportions and the introduction of the redented stupa (a stupa with indented corners, Thai: เจดีย์ย่อมุม), which reflected a uniquely mature Ayutthayan aesthetic.^[32]

At its peak, Ayutthaya's skyline was characterized by glittering, gold-gilded spires and multi-tiered, elegantly curved roofs (Thai: ช่อฟ้า). The sheer scale and visual impact of these structures left a profound impression on foreign visitors.

Accounts from 17th-century European travelers and diplomats consistently emphasize the city's architectural wealth. Joost Schouten, an agent of the Dutch East India Company who resided in Ayutthaya in the 1630s, noted that the city was filled with hundreds of magnificent temples, gilded statues, and geometrically precise urban planning.^[33]

Later, during the reign of King Narai and King Phetracha, European envoys such as the French diplomat Alexandre, Chevalier de Chaumont and the German physician Engelbert Kaempfer recorded their astonishment at the architecture. Kaempfer noted that while the interior sizes might not match European cathedrals, the exterior beauty, marked by sweeping multi-layered roofs and countless golden spires, was unparalleled in Asia.^[34] The royal palaces, too, were heavily adorned with gold leaf, reflecting the kingdom's immense prosperity before its fall.^[35]

• Architectural sketches and city plans of Ayutthaya by Engelbert Kaempfer (1690), illustrating the late Ayutthaya period's urban layout and religious monuments.

• A Thailand-themed town named "Ayothaya" appears in the personal computer MMORPG Ragnarok Online.
• 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, Kickboxer (as "Stone City"), Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat Annihilation, and throughout Mortal Kombat Conquest.^[36]
• The lying Buddha statue from the Ayutthaya ruins appears in Sagat's stage in most of the Street Fighter games.^[37]
• 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 and its consequences is central to one of the stories in the 1632 series anthology Ring of Fire III, "All God's Children in the Burning East" by Garrett W. Vance.
• In the 2010 Nintendo DS 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.
• Ayutthaya was featured in the 2016 video game Civilization VI as a non-playable city-state, boosting culture point generation in whichever civilization it is currently allied with.

• Elephants
• Elephant
• Buddhist monk in Ayutthaya
• Wat Phra Si Sanphet
• Mahathat, Ayutthaya historical park
• Floating market of Ayutthaya
• Thammikarat temple
• Ayutthaya city centre at night
• Ayutthaya Tourist Center

• Ayutthaya Historical Park

• Stefan Halikowski Smith, Creolization and Diaspora in the Portuguese Indies: The Social World of Ayutthaya, 1640-1720 (Leiden, Brill, 2011) (European Expansion and Indigenous Response, 8).

• http://www.ayutthaya.go.th/eng_travel.htm Website of municipality
• Ayutthaya travel guide from Wikivoyage