Baan Hollanda บ้านฮอลันดา is a former Dutch trading village in Thailand, founded in 1643 during the Ayutthaya era. Located along the Chao Phraya river near the Ayutthaya Historical Park, to the south of the city island. It was established by the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
The term "Wilanda" was used by the Siamese in the past to mean those from the Netherlands, or the Dutch. It was derived from the Malay "Orang Belanda". It was used to denote the Dutch in Java and elsewhere in the East Indies. "Belanda" itself was possibly derived from the Portuguese "Hollanda" (Holland).
The Dutch first established formal trade relations with Siam in 1604, towards the end of King Naresuan’s reign. In 1608, King Ekathotsarot granted permission to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to open its trading post in Ayutthaya.
The location was in the southern part of the walled island city and was a rather constricted space. In 1634, during the reign of King Prasat Thong, a new VOC ...
Wat Ko Kaew Suthatham in Petchaburi is truly a hidden gem. Built during the reign of King Borommakot in 1734, the Wat Ko Kaew Suttharam temple, more commonly known as Wat Ko, has a relatively simple architecture. Its main attraction is the mural paintings in the historic ubosot. These murals date back around 300 years and are probably the best preserved murals remaining from the Ayutthaya period. If in Phetchaburi they should be on your list of things to see.
On the north wall are represented the "Seven Great Places" where the Buddha stayed for seven weeks after his enlightenment except for the scene "under the Bodhi tree," which is the first of the seven places.
On the south wall are represented the "Eight Great Events" of Buddha's life, beginning with his birth. There are also paintings of the first Westerners who came to the Kingdom of Siam.
Phetchaburi is an underrated destination in terms of temple architecture. Considering its proximity to Bangkok, you'd expect it to be crawling with...
Wat Chaiwatthanaram วัดไชยวัฒนาราม is a Buddhist temple in the city of Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, outside Ayutthaya island.
It is one of Ayutthaya's best known temples and a major tourist attraction.
The temple was constructed in 1630 by the king, Prasat Thong, as the first temple of his reign, as a memorial of his mother's residence in that area.
The temple's name literally means the Temple of long reign and glorious era. It was designed in the Khmer style to gain Buddhist merit and as a memorial to his mother, however Prince Damrong believed it was built to celebrate Ayutthaya Kingdom's victory over Longvek (the capital of modern day Cambodia at the time).
It has a central 35 meter high (115 ft) prang พระปรางด์ประธาน with four smaller prangs. The whole construction stands on a rectangular platform. About halfway up there are hidden entrances, to which steep stairs lead.
The eight ...
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat วัดมังกรกมลาวาส, previously (and still commonly) known as Wat Leng Noei Yi วัดเล่งเน่ยยี่ 龙莲寺 is the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand.
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat was founded as a Mahayana Buddhist temple in 1871 or 1872, by Phra Archan Chin Wang Samathiwat (also known as Sok Heng), initially with the name Wat Leng Noei Yi. It was later given its current name, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, meaning "Dragon Lotus Temple", by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).
It is located in the district of Pom Prap Sattru Phai in the city's Chinatown, in a courtyard off Charoen Krung Road. It is served by Wat Mangkon MRT station which is located in front of the temple.
The temple is built in a classic Chinese architectural style, with typical sweeping tiled roofs decorated with animal and floral motifs, including the ubiquitous Chinese dragons. The ubosot (ordination hall) houses the temple's main, gold ...
