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"Earth is round, Time is short"
.
... in Ayuttayah, Thailand.
   

 

I would like to introduce in this page some photos of Ayuttayah, located 2 hours drive north of Bangkok. It used to be a former capital of Thailand in the 15s century. Cambodia and Birmania (Myanmar) used to be 2 warring neighbors of Thailand and Ayttayah is then home of magnificient buddhist temples mixing Thai, Khmer and Birman architectures all builts between 13 and 16th century.

 

  

 

The biggest temple of Ayuttayah site, inspired from Khmer (cambodian) architecture. (see Angkor Vat Temple in the Cambodia pictures in this site)

 

  

 

Remains of external walls of the temple.

 

  

 

a "chedi", the top of a temple lies down. Each circle of the Chedi means another stop towards Heaven.

 

 

 

  

 

Main Tower of the Khmer influences temple. Made of a mix of Sandstone and bricks.

 

  

 

Just below the top, inside the main tower.

a well preserved statue almost standing at the top of the temple

 

  

 

 

  

 

Almost all Buddha statues on the site have their head and/or arms cut. Most of these damages were done centuries ago when birmanian soldiers were looking for Gold and thought some was hidden inside the statues. This century, some heads or body of statues have also been stolen by local dealers who sold them as international researched collectible items...

 

  

 

Outside view from the top door-step of the central tower.

 

  

 

Another serie of headless Buddha statues along the surrounding path of a temple.

 

  

 

You have here a slight idea of how was the entire Buddah statue. It is one of the few remaining half-headed statue on the whole path along the temple.

 

  

 

One of the dozen of wodden buddha sitting inside a temple's corner gate.

... another one, headless.

 

  

 

Fortunately, some bigger statues and temples spare parts remain on the temples site and are kept under continuous surveillance. They might have been too heavy to be stolen at an early stage.

 

 

 

 

... kind of a shaky tower there, isn't it?

 

 

Above are the remains of some Portuguese catholic priests (missionnaires) who set-up a church in Capital Ayuttayah when portuguese conquistadores set-up foot in South East Asia in early 16th century. The priests were burried in the garden of a wodden church, destroyed by fire centuries ago.

 

 

 

 

... I like the way this stonehead is surrounded between this Banyan tree roots.