METROPOLIS IN PIXELS: Ayutthaya, Thailand

Ayutthaya, town and former capital of the Tai state of Ayutthaya (Siam) located in central Thailand, about 55 miles (89 km) north of Bangkok. The site of immense temples and other structures that are important both historically and architecturally, Ayutthaya was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1991.

Ayutthaya, Thailand: Wat Ratchaburana Guardians and other mythical creatures on Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Ayutthaya kingdom Ayutthaya (Ayudhya) kingdom, mid-15th century. The town was founded by Ramathibodi I about 1350 on an island formed by the confluence of the Chao Phraya, Lop Buri, and Pa Sak rivers. The modern state of Thailand can be said to date from its founding, for the kings of Ayutthaya extended their influence until their state became one of the most powerful in Southeast Asia. Its territory extended over all of present-day Thailand, except the far east and far north, and along the Bilauktaung and Dawna ranges within the territory now constituting southeastern Myanmar (Burma). The town, often referred to as Krung Kao (“ancient capital”), flourished for more than 400 years and at its height may have supported hundreds of thousands of residents. Most of the architecture, art, and literature of Ayutthaya was destroyed in the sack of the city by the armies of the Myanmar king Hsinbyushin in 1767, marking the end of the kingdom. A new Tai kingdom was established to the south at Thon Buri, on the Chao Phraya opposite modern-day Bangkok.