The Royal Palace or The Ancient Palace is located near Wat Mongkol Borpit temple in the UNESCO Historical Park.
Currently there are only the remains of the building's bases without extensive restoration. The best ruins to see are at Wat Phra Si Sanphet. To access the former royal palace you pass through this site and can see the amazing architecture of the Ayutthaya era.
It is presumed that King U-Thong ordered construction of this palace when he stayed in the small Vienglek palace in 1347. Once he successfully formed Bangkok in 1350, he moved to stay in this new palace near Nhon Sanon. The area, where Phra Thinang or throne halls were originally constructed of wood. The original palace is located in the area of Wat Phra Si Sanphet.
Later in 1448, King Phra Borom Trai Lokkanart offered the area of the former palace to be built as a temple in the royal palace area. The temple is "Wat Phra Si Sanphet". Then he ordered construction of a new royal palace located in the north, close to the Lopburi ...
Wat Chang Yai วัดช้างใหญ่ or the Great Monastery of the Elephant is an active temple located off the city island in the northwestern area.
On site is an old ordination hall in the Early Ayutthaya style (1351 - 1491) and other more recent temple buildings. The ubosot has one elevated front porch with a single entry door - likely none in earlier times. Initially the hall had five square windows on the sides, but due to the bad condition of the building, two of them on each side have been filled, while at the same time the whole structure was fortified by installing concrete support beams around the hall.
The old hall has mural paintings from the Ratanakosin period, painted during the reign of
King Rama IV. The mural paintings are damaged and slowly fading away. There are also some traces of old faded paintings on the outside wall at the entry of the ubosot. The main Buddha image in the ordination hall is in U-Thong style, depicted in sitting posture and in the Bhumisparsa mudra also ...
Wat Khae วัดแค
The temple was located on the west bank of the old Lopburi River, presently called
Khlong Hua Ro.
There are no indications in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya when exactly the temple was built. Archaeological research situates the construction of the temple in the Early Ayutthaya period (1350 - 1485).
The temple was abandoned during the war of 1766-1767 and sacked by the Burmese.
Wat Khae or the Monastery of the Trumpet Tree is located off the city island in the northern area at Khlong Sra Bua in a field named Thung Kaeo. The village is called Ban Rang Khae. Wat Lamut and Wat Phisua stood in its immediate vicinity. The closest active temple - Wat Khrutharam is situated to the northwest.
The monastery consists of four principal pagodas, an ordination hall (ubosot), two
vihara, some small pagodas and other buildings surrounded by a wall. All buildings have been restored several times.
The revered monk Luang Pu Thuad resided at Wat Khae for a while. He was the...
Wat Khun Mueang Chai วัดขุนเมืองใจ
Wat Khun Mueang Chai is a large temple ruin located on the city island. It was once located beside Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak, but this canal has been filled in.
Wat Khun Mueang Chai consists of four primary structures: an ubosot, one vihara, a large stupa, and a two-story living quarters. Of these structures, the large stupa is probably the most breathtaking. The tall base of the stupa consists of several layers that support a bell-shaped body as a type of relic chamber. One layer is superimposed over another. This style of Thai architecture is known as "Yok Ket". On the southeastern side, a surviving corner chedi is still visible.
There are very few monasteries resembling Wat Khun Mueang Chai in Ayutthaya (Wat Ayodhya being one of them). This chedi has low walls above its indented base that are designed to look like balustrade walls. These still have some decorative stucco patterns intact - including a few niches where standing Buddha...
