Wat Chakkrawat วัดจักรวรรดิ์
Wat Jakrawan (Chakrawan), also called Wat Chao Mon, is a restored ruin located off the city island in the eastern area of Ayutthaya near the train station.
The temple ruin is situated on the west bank of Khlong Ayodhya. Wat Kudi Dao lies opposite of it, while to the north stands Wat Ayodhya. On its west side is Wat Pradu Songtham.
The monastery derives its name from the "Traiphum", the three-world system. The ancient Theravada tradition saw a flat world with Heaven above and Hell below, which was later modified to a ten thousand world vision.
According to the Traiphum, the universe has been for ever occupied by an infinite number of Chakrawans (groups of worlds) all exactly similar, and each embracing a world of men, with a series of heavens and hells. Each of these worlds (solar systems) depends on a central mountain named
Phra Meru. Around Mount Meru are eight circular belts of ocean, divided from each other by seven annular mountains ...
Khlong Suan 100 Years Market ตลาดคลองสวน 100 ปี is a historic waterfront marketplace that offers a glimpse into Thailand’s canal-side trading past. Dating back to the reign of King Rama V (late 19th to early 20th century), it was originally a bustling hub for travelers and traders along the Khlong Prawet Burirom canal, which connected Chachoengsao to Bangkok via boat services like the one run by Nai Loet (later known as Lert Sresthaputra, namesake of Bangkok’s Nailert Park). The market declined with the rise of roads and cars but was revived in 1999 and rebranded to highlight its century-old heritage. Today, it’s a “living museum” popular with local Thais for its authentic vibe, though it remains off the radar for most foreign tourists.
Unlike touristy floating markets, this one is a traditional land-based affair along the canal banks, with wooden shophouses in Sino-Thai style perched precariously on stilts. It spans both sides of the canal, connected by the ...
Đồng Xuân Market, known in Vietnamese as Chợ Đồng Xuân, traces its origins to the early nineteenth century when, in 1804 under the Nguyễn Dynasty, a market was established on the southern bank of the Tô Lịch River to support riverine trade.
By the late 1800s the Old Quarter contained two principal open-air markets on Hàng Đường and Hàng Mã streets. In 1889 the French colonial administration closed those sites, filled in sections of the river and nearby lake, and consolidated commerce into a single covered marketplace in what became Đồng Xuân Ward.
Construction of the original structure began around 1889–1890; the French called it Les Halles Centrales or Grand Marché, though locals retained the name Đồng Xuân, meaning “Spring Field.” The building covered roughly 6,500 square meters and featured five interconnected halls with distinctive arched entrances and dome-like roofs of corrugated iron on a steel frame, each dome rising about 19 meters high. It quickly became ...
Trấn Quốc Pagoda in Hanoi traces its origins to the mid-sixth century, when construction began in 541 under the reign of King Lý Nam Đế and the temple was completed around 545. At that time it was known as Khai Quốc Pagoda, or the Pagoda of the Nation’s Foundation, and stood on the banks of the Red River as one of the earliest major Buddhist centers in the region that would later become the capital of Thăng Long.
Over the following centuries the site underwent repeated renovations and expansions that reflected the changing fortunes of Vietnamese Buddhism and successive dynasties.
In the early nineteenth century, under the Nguyễn Dynasty, substantial restoration work was carried out and a series of stone steles dating from 1813 to 1815 were erected to record the temple’s history and the efforts to rebuild it after periods of decline.
The most recent major addition came in 1998 with the construction of the eleven story Bảo Tháp, a fifteen meter high stupa adorned with lotus motifs and ...
