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 Intharam, known locally as Wat In, is an active community temple north of the historic city island in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.
Local tradition holds that it may have been founded during the Ayutthaya period, possibly linked to King Intharacha in the early fifteenth century, though firm contemporary evidence is scarce. Official records variously date its establishment to around 1377 with a formal ordination boundary granted near 1387, while other accounts place it more generally in the mid-to-late Ayutthaya era.
The monastery was abandoned after the Burmese destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767 and was restored and reoccupied by monks toward the end of King Rama V’s reign in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century.
It has offered scriptural education since 1973 and remains a standard Maha Nikaya temple with a consecrated ordination boundary. The name derives from Indra, the king of the gods associated with rain, storms and war, combined with a Sanskrit comparative form.
Most of the ...
Nothing can finish a day in Ayutthaya better than an evening of walking and snacking on street food while shopping at Ayutthaya’s Night Market. Located on the city island of Ayutthaya in the historical park, near Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratcha Burana, the market is one of the popular local attraction in Ayutthaya.
The former capital comes to life in the evening when traders line up near the ancient ruin in the middle of the historical park selling various items and street food. The market experience is entertainment in itself and its added to with with great views of the ancient temples. Even if shopping is not your thing, just walking around and soaking up the atmosphere is a great source of entertainment.
It has been a Ayutthaya tradition for visitors to enjoy the ancient temples and museums by day and enjoy the night market as an evening event when the sun sets. The market becomes the focal point for vending stalls selling delicious street food. The warm atmosphere of the ancient capital ...
Wat Phuttha Prommayan, also known in fuller form as Wat Phuttha Prom Yan Phitcharam, rises as a contemporary Theravada Buddhist sanctuary on the quiet island of Ko Lat in the Bang Pakong River within Chachoengsao Province.
This relatively young temple took shape in recent decades through the determined vision of its abbot, Phra Palad Ekalak Panyakhamo, who first came to the undeveloped river island guided by deep devotion to the teachings and lineage of Luang Pho Reusi Ling Dam, also known as Phra Ratchaprommayan of Wat Tha Sung. Making a solemn vow upon the land, he resolved that if merit allowed he would transform the isolated plot into a place of beauty and practice dedicated to the Buddha and to that revered teacher.
What followed has been a rapid flowering of faith and architecture, supported by generous lay devotees whose offerings, including substantial Kathin ceremonies, have helped raise striking structures amid the water.
Accessible only by a short boat crossing from the mainland pier, ...