Wat Bamrung Tham (วัดบำรุงธรรม)
Wat Bamrung Tham or the Monastery of Keeping up the Dharma is an active monastery located off the city island in the northern area of Ayutthaya in Ban Mai Sub-district.
On site is a new monastic complex and an old de-consecrated ordination hall built in the Early Ayutthaya style (1351 - 1488 AD). The old ubosot has a single elevated porch with two entries in the east and a back door on the western side. There are three rectangular windows on the northern and southern sides. The roof is two-tiered, which is an architecture feature which took root in the Middle Ayutthaya period (1488 - 1629 AD). On the western side of the ubosot stands a two-rabbeted angled chedi. The old monastic structures are surrounded by a wall (Kamphaeng kaeo or crystal wall), separating the monastic world from the secular world.
The new ubosot was built in the Late Ayutthaya style (1629 - 1767 AD). It is a very slender hall with a three-tiered roof. The gable is beautifully ...
Wat Phukhao Thong
Wat Phu Khao Thong, also known as the "Golden Mount Pagoda," is a historic temple located in Ayutthaya, Thailand. It was originally built in 1387 and features a chedi that stands approximately 80 meters tall.
The site originally housed a large Mon-style chedi built by King Hongsawadi of Burma to commemorate his victory in Ayutthaya in 1569.
During the reign of King Boromakot, a new Thai-style chedi was built on the base of the former chedi. The chedi has a gold ball at the top weighing around 2 kilograms and a Buddha footprint from Saraburi. The temple is slightly off the beaten track and is easily accessible by Tuk-Tuk.
The temple features a clash of two unique architectural styles, with the pagoda initially sanctioned by a Burmese commander to commemorate a successful siege of Ayutthaya but only managing to complete the base structure before he left. After Ayutthaya regained its independence, a Thai-style pagoda was superimposed on the Mon-style base.
Buddhist law prohibited ...
Kong Khong Market, also known as Bowing Market or Talat Kong Khong is located about 15 minutes south of Ayutthaya.
This market has a weird name because in the past vendors would lay their merchandises on the ground or in their boats. People who wanted to buy the goods had to bow their heads down in order to take a closer look at the items for sale.
This market was opened in 2006. It is a private market with the objective to allow the locals to have some space to open their shops. The market has been successful and has grown bigger until it has becomes the most interesting market in Ayutthaya. This market is open Thursdays to Sundays. On Thursdays and Fridays, customers are the locals or people working in nearby factories. During the weekends, customers who are tourists from other places in Thailand stop here.
Even though this market is not a big one, it has its own charm. All vendors wear Thai costumes in magenta or purple like the color of the mangosteen. The highlight of this market is the ...
Ku Phon Rakhang กู่โพนระฆัง
Ku Phon Rakhang is a famous Khmer architectural archaeological site located in Roi Et Province, Thailand. It was constructed during the reign of Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire and served as a hospital or religious place, showcasing the transition from Hinduism to Buddhism.
It is a textbook arogyasala site, located in the southern section of the province, 500m or so east of Prasat Ku Ka Sing and corresponds to the Bayon-period settlement Muang Boran Ku Ka Sing.
The site today is largely intact, thanks to the restoration work by the fine arts department and consists of an east-facing laterite shrine on a platform, with a porch and cruciform-shaped terrace, enclosing wall, library and eastern gopura, all laterite, and a lined pond to the northeast of the enclosure.
The site is built from laterite bricks and features a main building facing east, with a library situated to the southeast, surrounded by a crystal wall in a rectangular shape. The middle...
