Wat Phra Si Sanphet

* Wat Phra Si Sanphet (Sri Sanphet Rd) is the largest temple in Ayutthaya, known for its row of chedis (Thai-style stupas). Housed within the grounds of the former royal palace, the wat was used only for royal religious ceremonies. It once housed a 16-meter Buddha covered with 340 kg of gold, but the Burmese set fire to the statue to melt the gold and destroyed the temple in the process.

Used as a residential palace, it became a monastery in the reign of King Ramathibodi I. When King Borom Trai Lokanat commanded new living quarters built, this residential palace was given to be a temple area, thus originating Wat Phra Si Sanphet : The royal chapel does not have any monks and novice inhabitants. It is open everyday from 8.00 a.m.-6.00 p.m

Entrance fee of 30 baht.

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Wat Borom Phuttharam

situated inside Rajabhat University Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, the north-facing temple was built some time during 1688–1703 during the reign of King Phetracha on his former residence area near the main gate of the southern city wall. Its location and area plan was confined to be in the north-south direction by ancient communication routes; namely, Khlong Cha Krai Noi in the east and a royal pathway known as Thanon Maha Ratthaya or Thanon Pa Tong in the west. Unlike other temples, the King had all buildings roofed with yellow glazed tiles and the temple became known as “Wat Krabueang Khlueap” or the “glazed tile temple”. The construction took 2 years and the temple underwent a major renovation in the reign of King Borommakot, who had 3 pairs of door panels decorated with fine mother-of-pearl inlays. One pair of them is currently at Ho Phra Monthian Tham inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the second is at Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple), and the third was turned into cabinets and is now exhibited at the Bangkok National Museum.

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Discover Bangkok's History and Tourism

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and the first point of call for most international flights and the center for domestic travel. Over 11 million people live or work here and so it is large and congested. Accordingly the choice of hotel and its location can be important. Bangkok itself has numerous tourist attractions and these are detailed in the links on the left. The principal tourist sites in Bangkok include, The Grand Palace, Wat Phrao Kaeo [ the Temple of the Emerald Buddha ], the National Musum Bangkok, Wat Arun, Wat Suthat, Wat Pho, China town, the Chao Phraya River, the Dusit District and Vimanmek Mansion, Jim Thompson Museum, and Suan Pakkad Palace Museum. Bangkok is also in the center of various tourist places of interest available on one day or several days excursions. These include, Lop Buri, The Summer Palace, Ayutthaya, the Burma railway on the Kwai River at Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin and the South West Coast and Pattaya and the South East Coast. These are also detailed in the links on the left. For those travelling around Bangkok the summary below explains the history and hence reason for the layout of the city, the location and reason for the Canals and the functions of the River.

In 1557 King Thamaracha of Ayutthaya allowed Bangkok to be the port of entry for the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Later King Narai had French technicians build the Wichaiyen and Wichaiprasit Forts on the east and west banks of the River. They were called the Bangkok Forts. Between the Forts was a large chain hanging beneath the River to prevent unauthorized boat entry into and exit from Siam.

Previously in 1542 a canal was dug from the mouth of Bangkoknoi Canal to Bangkok Yai Canal for convenience of transportation at the time. The Chao Phraya River then changed course and the short cut canal became the River and the original river became the Canal.

After the Burmese sacked Siam and Ayutthaya in 1767, General Taksin selected Thon Buri [ on the west bank ] as the new capital for Siam, as it was an important port of entry and was well fortified. In 1773 King Taksin ordered the renovation of the City and named it Krung Thonburi.

Until 1767 Ayutthaya was the Capital of Siam and an international trade centre. At the same time Rattanakosin [ the area on the opposite east River bank ] was since 1557, a port of entry for the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It was called Bank Kok . Bangkok became the new centre of the Siamese Kingdom. Its story has 4 periods. The first is the story of Taksin and the First Kingdom at Thon Buri on the west side of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.

Next is the period of construction of Rattanakosin from 1782 to 1851 from the reign of Rama 1 to the end of the reign of Rama 3 [ the Era of National Peace ]. The period 1851 to 1932 is referred to as the Reformation Era before which changes in the system of government took place, and then there was the Democratic Era from 1932 from the reign of King Rama 6 until the present day.

To understand the design of Bangkok, the locations of its monuments, the River and the Canals, one needs to understand the history. To understand the design of its art and monuments one needs to appreciate mythological, religious and ethnic influences.

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Tourism And Improving Political Situation Contributing To Better Outlook For Thai Property

Analysts have been able to directly relate the two together, proposing that the position of Thailand at the top of the tourism charts for Southeast Asia is directly related to the fact that investors in the Thai property market are regularly receiving returns exceeding 15 per cent per year on their initial investments.

In fact, many of the leading experts on the Thai property market have said as much. One of the leading experts commented that the government's commitment to better tourism in Thailand by 10 per cent per year and the general improvement and resurgence of projects in the property sector have both resulted in a very positive impact on prices within the property markets of the country.

While the high tourism has always been something that has assisted to drive the Thai property market, the positive effect of government is not something that the sector has always been accustomed to. In fact, the setbacks in the property markets of Thailand, when they have occurred, have been directly linked with buyer uncertainty because of the political instability or the perceived instability within the government of the country.

However, it seems as if that is not going to be a hiccup with the current administration, as the establishment of the new government is anticipated to proceed without incident. At the same time, the strategies of the new government for economic growth and tourism are expected to be in place by the middle of the year.

According to most of the analysts, if that is a reality the real estate sector of the economy could begin to see the advantages of that in hard number form as early as the third quarter of this year. That would lead to a boom in property prices and it would probably also result in a large influx of foreign investment dollars into the property markets across the country of Thailand.

There has been a strong urge from the people in the property sector to the newly-elected democratic government to be more generous towards foreign property investors. Thailand going back to democracy after a 15 month military rule has already had a positive impact on the property market. There have been a notable number of deals completing during the high season in Phuket as well as more visitors to the sole agency projects. The newly elected government has begun to take initiatives toward a more open and favorable policy for foreign property investors. The new government has already taken away the 30% capital control which is thought to support bringing back foreign investments.

The issuing of the new tax incentive package is also an attractive move for the property market. This is anticipated to fuel market sentiments on both the demand and supply side. Property Transfer fee will be decreased from 2% to 0.01% and Specific Business Tax for property transactions will be decreased from 3% to 0.1%. Reliability in the market could be improved further by longer lease terms, stretching from the current 30 years to 90 years. The beginning of business lending to foreign property investors should also be considered by the government. Policies like these would enable Thailand to keep pace with its emerging neighbors, Vietnam and Malaysia, relating to property purchase terms. It is expected that there will a more encouraging outlook for the Thai property market in 2008 than in 2007.

The Treasury Department's recent land value appraisal displayed that land values in Phuket have rose by an average 160 per cent over the past four years, with Samui prices following closely. The steady rise in land prices on Thailand's coast points to the confidence in the market and its long term prospects. There is no doubt that Thailand's property market is continuously flourishing. Foreign investors will have a good time investing in Thailand from now onwards. If you are ready to forget the unfriendly past of Thailand and show renewed faith, you are set to benefit. If somebody says, tourism and political situation looking good for investments in Thailand do not be surprised at all as that is as true as the daylight.

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Thai History - the Ayudhaya Period

Thai History – The Ayutthaya Period


King Ramathibodi I’s name literally means ‘Rama at the Bhodi tree’ and pays homage to the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment and was freed from attachment to impermanent phenomena. After he founded Ayutthaya in 1350 by the building of a canal across a bend in the Chao Phraya river, the city quickly became the capital of his kingdom, which grew in importance when in 1378 the king of Sukhothai was forced to swear allegiance.

Ayutthaya was originally named ‘Ayodhya’ after the mythical kingdom of the Gods portrayed in the Ramayana epic, which was adopted and then adapted from the Indian original with the help of Ceylonese monks during the Sukhothai period. It is no coincidence that the present King of Thailand, HRH King Bhumibol is also known as HRH King Rama IX, as spiritually Thailand has been hugely influenced by the Ramayana ever since. The Thai version of the epic differs from the Indian in that the Thai version has a happy ending, whereas the Indian original did not: it is maybe no surprise that the happiest people on the planet felt that a sad ending to the epic equated with a sad conclusion on the ultimate meaning of life, which did not reflect their views.

Queen Phra Si Suriyothai was the consort of King King Phra Mahachakkraphat. Only 7 months after he was crowned as King in 1548, his rule was challenged by yet another of the seemingly never-ending Burmese invasions, which led to a battle near Kanchanaburi’s Three Pagoda Pass. Unusually for a woman Queen Phra Si Suriyothai had had a little military training and begged the King to be allowed to accompany him, along with their two adult children, one of whom she wanted to be the mahout for her war elephant. The king at first refused, but eventually gave in to her pleas that she loved him so much that her life would be worthless if any harm were to befall him. Queen Phra Si Suriyothai stayed close to the king in the thick of the fighting. The warriors between the King and Phrachao Prae, a ferocious and deadly Burmese warrior, fell. The Queen could see that the King was in mortal danger from the Burmese champion and rode her elephant between them, lunging with her lance at the Burmese, who easily parried her thrust and then killed her with a single blow of his sword across her neck and chest. The Burmese champion could not however defend himself against the Thai King and Queen simultaneously, so could then be impaled by the King on his lance.

In 1569 the Burmese captured, on the first of two occasions, Ayutthaya. Sixteen years later they were on the brink of making the Thais into a vassal state when, in 1585, into the fray stepped King Naresuan, who fought tenaciously against ever-larger Burmese armies until finally defeating them in 1593. In the final battle Naresuan, according to the official chronicles, challenged the Burmese commander-in-chief to a dual. After a long and exhausting fight the Burmese commander had the upper hand and, after getting his elephant into an advantageous position behind Naresuan’s shoulder, lunged with his lance for the coup-de-grace. Unfortunately for him he underestimated the skill and courage of the Thai King who, after reeling backwards, just managed to dodge the blow but, in doing so, almost fell out of his saddle. The Thai king, committing himself to a desperate do-or-die attack, left his defences wide open. Without trying to regain his seat, he grabbed the back of his saddle with one hand and, with the weapon in his other hand, he lunged at the Burmese general. Luckily for him his aim was true and his sword buried itself in the Burmese’s chest, thus ending the war, evicting the Burmese from Ayutthaya and earning the Thai king the sobriquet ‘the Great’ for his achievement.

Visitors may have noticed that the spelling of ‘Ayutthaya’ is the least standardised of all Thai city names - it is also known as Ayotaya, Ayothaya, Ayudhya, Ayutaya, Ayuthaya and Ayuttaya. The cause of the confusion is that, after his defeat of the Burmese, King Naresuan the Great changed his capital’s name to ‘Ayutthaya’, meaning ‘the undefeatable city’. This was to prove to be an unfortunate misnomer as, almost two hundred years later in 1767, the Burmese again invaded, laid siege to the city and, at the twenty-fourth attempt, sacked it and destroyed the dynasty.

After the conquest the city was thoroughly looted and then burned, which still rankles many Thais today, who are bitter at the Burmese for pillaging or destroying all of this architectural treasure trove’s precious objects, in a ransack that was so comprehensive that the city had to be abandoned afterwards. It is pointless to point out to embittered Thais that their own kingdoms did at least their fair share of burning and pillaging. This bitterness towards Burma can on occasion have dire personal consequences for individual Burmese refugees in Thailand, who are mostly illegal immigrants and are therefore vulnerable to abuse by the unscrupulous.

The city’s golden period, between the mid-seventeenth century and its demise, was literally golden. Tons of the metal were used to gild hundreds of temples and religious artifacts, resulting in a city which at first sight stunned the many Western and Far Eastern visitors into awed silence. European traders and diplomats unanimously described Ayutthata in its hey-day as more splendid and opulent than anywhere else they had ever seen, and made contemporary London look like an impoverished village by comparison.

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