Again! Facebook memories reminded me that a year ago I shot photos. That’s why I want to write about it. I visited Ayutthaya Historical Park on January 19, 2020. One of the most famous places in Thailand.

Ayutthaya Historical Park located in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. The Ayutthaya Historical Park is the epicenter of what was once the great empire of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. An ancient imperial establishment that was at the peak of its powers between the 12th to 16th centuries.

The city of Ayutthaya was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1351.

Burmese invaded Ayutthaya in 1765 and took the city after two bloody years of fighting. They stole the kingdom’s treasures, enslaved the people, and burned many of the Ayutthaya temples to the ground.

Rather than rebuild, the king had the capital city moved down the river to Thonburi.

The ruins of the Ayutthaya temples were restored centuries later, and they received UNESCO World Heritage status in 1991. 

Why Buddha’s head like this?

One theory suggests that the tree simply grew around the Buddha’s head during the period when the temple lay abandoned and overgrown. Another theory is that a thief moved the Buddha head away from the main temple to hide it.

I noticed that the Ayutthaya Historical Park has many buddha statues without the head. I remembered a Thai movie called Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (องค์บาก), 2003.
This movie about: when an ancient Buddha statue’s head, sacred to a village, is stolen, Ting, a Muay Thai artist, volunteers to bring it back.

Hope you like my post. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Stay safe and take care!

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