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Location of the capital
Displaying a through and ingenious understanding of earth and water the Thai ancestors chose to locate their new capital at the junction of three rivers namely Chao Phraya river, Pasak river and Lopburi river. The land drew fertility from the accumulation of river deposits and was thus well suited to agriculture.
The three rivers served as a city moat, a strong natural barrier. A network of annals dug to link the natural waterways was used to supply water to villages and agricultural areas, as well as a transportation system and significantly a means of drainage during the flood season.
Over 12 kilometers sturdy walls of brick were built to surround the city with 16 fortified turrets located at significant spots. There were 99 city gates comprising 18 land gates 61 minop gates and 20 water gates.
Roads and canals were grid-patterned in east-west and north-south directions and linked by more than 30 wooden and brick bridges. Small areas formed by the criss crossing of these roads and canals became the sites of more than 500 temples scattered around the city. The Grand Palace, marketplaces, handicraft centers, governmental are as and residential areas were all orderly planned. On land, marketplaces, more than 40 of them within the city wall and more than 32 outside, were strung out along the roads. These were both general markets and specialized markets for specific goods such as village products. In addition, there were four large floating markets for both international and domestic trade.
On both banks of the rivers and canals were villages and temples with vast paddy fields beyond. The land was divided into separate areas for industry. Handicraft production and residential quarters for Thais and foreigners, Outside the city to the north, by the Lopburi river and Sa Bua and Bang Khuad canals, was the site of the earthenware industry.
The land beyond the city walls to the south was separated into districts for Thais and for foreigners of various nationalities who had royal permission to settle, and the area was, therefore, crowded with warehouses and trading ships. It was through familiarity with people of different cultures who came for trade that foreign influences were integrated into the local culture.
Westerners called Ayutthaya, a city of rivers and canals, the “Venice of the East” and recorded their praise about the city as follows: Arriving in Ayutthaya, one shall see an embracing wall of rivers, The city is crowded with people, glorious and splendid in Thai style…”
“...The Royal Kingdom of Siam comprises seven or eight walled cities reaching the border of Pegu…These cities have thousands of villages, so numerous that it is incalculable. That is to be concluded that the land of Siam is a land so well peopled and conditioned as the world can afford no better”
The ruins of brick and mortar which Phraya boran Ratchatanin, the Governor of Ayutthaya, saw a hundred years ago were the remains of a great capital of the past, prosperous and reknowed even amongst foreigners, and powerful throughout 417 years history under the reigns of 33 kings.
On the establishment of Ayutthaya, the most important task of the first monarch, King Ramathibodi I (King U-thong), was to consolidate and extend the kingdom’s boundary. An attempt to combine the northern city of Sukhothai into the kingdom was conducted throughout the following reigns until ultimately successful. Sukhothai then came under the sway of Ayutthaya’s power by means of military force, politics, and family relations.
The construction in Sukhothai of a prang-shaped pagoda, a symbol of Ayutthaya, emphasized Ayutthaya’s domination which was achieved after prolonged warfare alternating with diplomatic negotiations between the army of King Borommatrai Lokanath and King Tilogaraj of Chiangmai.
In addition to a cultural relationship with Sukhothai, there was also a link with Chiangmai, the capital of the Lanna kingdom. The constructions of Lanna style bell-shaped pagodas in Ayutthaya are clearly evident. Nevertheless, a parallel relation and antagonism between Ayutthaya and Chiangmai persisted. Eventually leading to a conflict with Burma.
Since the reign of King Ramathibodi II (1491-1529), the western nations has tried to extend their influence into the region, Apart from engaging in trade and religious missions, some foreigners also served the court as volunteers, mercenaries, royal guards, even as engineers, and the king granted them land on which to construct their own religious buildings and residences. Western science introduced into Ayutthaya brought about the creation of new styles of art and architecture, the construction of fortifications, the introduction of cannons and the production of ammunition. These new military techniques played an important role in the Thai-Burmese war at Chiang Kran during the reign of King Chai Rachathiraj (1534-1546).
The following war between Thai and Burmese in 1563, in the reign of King maha Chakrapad (1548-1568), was memorable for the deaths of Queen Suriyothai and a princess, killed on war elephants as recorded in the royal chronicle. Ayutthaya was, therefore, forced to sign a peace treaty and give white elephants to the Burmese, However, the defeat of Ayutthaya was not realized until five years later when the city was invaded by a powerful Burmese army.
The restoration of independence, a great event in Thai history, was achieved through the bravery and perseverance of King Naresuan the Great (1590-1605). He was victorious in a fight on elephant back with Phra Maha Uparaja of Burma. Doctor Kaempfer, a German employee of the Dutch’s East India Company who came to Ayutthaya in 1690, almost 100 years after the event, still heard tales of the victory which was commemorated in the building of Phu Khao Thong Pagoda.
Later on, King Prasatthong, who ascended the throne by conquest, attempted to proe his right of kingship by reviving the Indrapisek, a royal ceremony to honour the king as a virtual God. The construction of temples such as Wat Chai Wattanaram and the reconstruction of throne halls were also intended to signify his supreme status.
The great prosperity of the kingdom in his reign lasted through the reign of King Narai, his son, when the royal court received envoys from many countries. The most important was the mission from King Louis XIV of France, which was reciprocated by Ayutthaya sending envoys to the French court.
From that contact, the French were granted land for building residences and churches, and were freely allowed to disseminate the Christian religion. Western science, such as astronomy, town-planning, waterworks and so forth were introduced at this time. Architecture with a Western influence can still be seen in, for example, the fortifications, of Lopburi, Bangkok, and Pom Petch in Ayutthaya.
Amongst all the foreigners who served at the court, Chao Phraya Wichayen, a Greek native, was the most powerful, He constantly antagonized the Thai courtiers until the conflicts became so serious that Phra Petracha led a court revolution in which the Greek was executed and other foreigners deported. Phra Petracha then ascended the throne.
In the reign of King Borommakos (1732-1758), many temples were old and decayed, and this was a time of more restorations and reconstruction of temples and royal buildings than ever before, indicating a period of economic prosperity, religious favour, and artistic accomplishment, However, those were the last glory day before Ayutthaya fell in 1767, during the reign of King Ekathat.
So ended a great city, which had lasted for 417 years and was irreplaceable except to be reborn as Bangkok in the modern era.
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