Thailand, the beautiful Buddhist country, has always been one of my favorite places ever. At some point I even stopped counting how many times I have been to the Land of Smiles. Thailand is very special to me – it's not only full of ancient temples and countless types of delicious food – there are also numerous places being a cultural heritage of the country, one of which I am going to introduce you today. My today's post is going to be about a province located in the middle of Thailand and it's mysterious, lost, ancient city – Ayutthaya.
Above Image source:google
Ayutthaya is a province located about 70 km away from Bangkok and you can easily reach the place by local means of transportation. It seems to be perfect destination for one day trip. There are a plenty of local travel agencies organizing group trips here, but you can reach it easily on your own, too. They also provide a variety of other services like ferries, renting bicycles and tuk-tuk rides. Because I was late for the bus that day, as a result of which I had missed the bus, I just made a decision to take a taxi from downtown directly to Ayutthaya province. Well...the price turned out to be a bit expensive but still...acceptable considering the fact that all in all – it was kind of convenient taxi ride. If you have more time, I'd highly recommend taking a bus or a train instead – cheaper and more adventurous I think, having in mind how beautiful the scenery surrounding Bangkok is.
PS:The equipment used for shooting here--- iPhone6 + wide-angle lenses.
After having arrived to Ayutthaya first thing that really hit me was this blazing heat! For some reason it felt much hotter than Bangkok itself, maybe because of the area being exposed to everlasting, burning sun. I soon realized that the style of the architecture of local buildings and temples remains similar to what I saw in Cambodia, when I visited Angkor Wat for the first time. Wat Mahathat, which I was blessed to say that day, is claimed to be one of the first khmer-style temples and pagodas that have ever been built. However, unfortunately, the remnants on the famous place are not in such a good condition anymore – the only thing left from the building was the bottom pedestal. Below you can see a few pictures I took myself – you can easily see the whole place and all very picturesque surroundings of the nearby temples, including the stupas and other traces of ancient architecture.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned before – many landmarks that you can see in Ayutthaya are incomplete because of the erosion and aging process. However, I must say that the place still remains magic and definitely has something special to it ;-)
Mahathat - 'Buddha's head in a tree!'
There is one special object that Ayutthaya is famous for in particular – you can see it over and over again on the postcards and in all the guide-books that you will come across while in Thailand. The photograph of Buddha's head entwined by the roots of the trees is definitely one of the most recognizable images that Thailand is famous for. It's considered to be one of the seven wonders of Thailand. The construction works Wat Mahathat started during the reign of King Phra Borom Rajathirat in 1374. In 1767, after Ayutthayaian army having been defeated by Burmese, the temple was burnt to the ground. Statues of Buddha inside the temple itself were beheaded as well. The story tells that after one of Buddha's head having been left next to the tree, after the years of growth, the sacred tree claimed the head by itself becoming a meaningful symbol with long years of traditional and cultural significance, not only to local people.
TRAVEL TIP: Please kindly note that you have to kneel down while taking a picture with Buddha's head – It's a rule and a way of showing respect to Thai culture – you can't stand higher than the Buddha himself.
Wat Lokayasutha
Well... time flies when you enjoy yourself. Unfortunately, due to quite a tight schedule, I did not have enough time to go around all the places in Ayutthaya, as the venue is really big and there literally countless temples to visit. Pity that. I do believe that I will have a chance to come and visit Ayutthaya again and in my personal opinion – visiting the place just once ain't enough to feel the unique vibe the place offers. A place in Thailand definitely worth paying a visit!
寻找美丽的失落的古城-阿育他亚（Ayutthaya)
美丽的佛教国家-泰国一直都是kiki最爱的国家之一，记不得已经来这边玩多少回了，这里不仅有数不清的寺庙和无数让人流连忘返的美食，也有几座古老沧桑的历史悠久的古城，今天，我想和大家分享的就是这座神秘的失落古城就是泰国中部的著名的阿育他亚（Ayutthaya)。
百度百科：
阿育他亚（泰语：พระนครศรีอยุธยา），又译为大城，因记载中的不落之城阿约提亚而得名，泰国大城府首府，人口54888人（2006年）。阿育他亚由乌通王始建于1350年，是阿育他亚王朝首都。1767年，该城被缅甸攻占后焚毁，郑信复国后将都城南迁吞武里，建立吞武里王朝，在老城东重建新城。老城废墟现为世界文化遗产阿瑜陀耶历史公园所在地。大城是继素可泰之后的第二任暹罗首府，大约建于1350年，于18世纪毁于缅甸人手中。它的遗迹——圣骨塔和大清真寺还依稀显露出它昔日的辉煌。
阿育他亚距离曼谷直线距离70公里，可以轻松地来个一日游。当地有旅行社组织乘大巴到那里，也可以从曼谷坐火车再做渡船再租自行车或包tutu车。由于当时我去的时间比较晚了，错过当日的大巴和火车时间，所以就直接从曼谷市区打车过去了…嗯，价格小贵，但还算可以接受范围吧。不过时间充裕的朋友，我还是很建议做大巴和火车的哈，可以体验沿途的美景，自别有一番风情！
到达了阿育塔雅后，发现这里真的——好热啊！！！哈哈，我发现这里和柬埔寨吴哥窟的建筑风格很类似，玛哈泰寺大城最早建成的高棉式佛塔之一，不过只剩下底部的基座，从围绕四周的佛塔上依稀可以看到当时以灰泥装饰的痕迹。
PS：除了特别注明，其他全部照片拍摄器材均为iphone6➕广角镜头！
（哈哈，图片请参考上面英文版哈👆）
因为历史太悠久，很多佛像都已经残缺不全了，不过反而有一种残缺的美！
玛哈泰寺 树抱佛头（永恒的微笑）
在泰国有一个标志性的图像，你可能会看到在明信片和指南书上一次又一次地出现。就是那张著名的是缠在树根内的佛头照片，闭目含笑的佛头被菩提老树根缠绕，是泰国七大奇迹之一关于微笑佛头比较常见的说法是，被缅甸军队洗劫破坏时，佛像上的佛头被敲掉滚落到菩提树下，几百年后佛头便与树根浑然一体。佛头在菩提树中挂着淡淡微笑，仿佛看尽一个王朝的风云变幻与世事兴衰，流露出那洗尽了铅华的安详及与世无争的容颜。
TIP:与佛头合影时候要蹲下来，因为泰国文化中人的头是不可以高过佛的头。
罗塔苏卡寺：巨型露天卧佛!
不知不觉已经天晚了，我还没来得及逛完全部阿育塔雅，有点遗憾，当然，这么美丽的古城我绝对还会回来的，因为这里的美，值得你来第二次。。。