Photo of the Day - Ayuthaya

I took these photos on my first trip to Thailand in February 2004. These are from the city of Ayuthaya which was the Siamese royal capital from 1350 to 1767.


 

This was taken at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. The structure is known as a 'chedi' which is used to house Buddhist relics and ancient texts. I remember that taking the stairs up to the top left me a bit out of breath, but I had a great view of the surrounding countryside and some of the other temples in the area. I especially remember a large number of stone Buddha images draped in saffron sashes seated around the perimeter of the chedi.


 

This Buddha image was taken at Wat Phanan Choeng. The Buddha image is 19m high (approximately 57 feet high) and was probably one of my favorite Buddha images next to the reclining Buddha at Wat Po in Bangkok. The temple is located on Mae Nam Chao Phraya (the river that runs to the Gulf of Thailand and is a main transportation artery in Bangkok)

28 days to go...can't wait.