The day before traveling I’d booked my train ticket to Ayutthaya online from the hotel, because I didn’t want to turn up at the station and find no seats available.
Depending on the distance you want to travel you can book tickets online in advance for Thai Railways , the longer the distance the further out from the date of travel you can book. When I arrived at Ayutthaya I expected the tuk tuk from the station to my guest house would probably get mixed up, due to the similarity of the names between the one I was booked into and another associated property nearby, and sure enough he pulled into the wrong guest house but at least this time I was able to set him right before unloading.
When the light looked right I walked to 10 minutes to the Ayutthaya Historical Park and made my first stop at Wat Ratchaburana - วัดราชบูรณะ.
Next it was across the road to older Wat Maha That - วัดมหาธาตุ.
Depending on the distance you want to travel you can book tickets online in advance for Thai Railways , the longer the distance the further out from the date of travel you can book. When I arrived at Ayutthaya I expected the tuk tuk from the station to my guest house would probably get mixed up, due to the similarity of the names between the one I was booked into and another associated property nearby, and sure enough he pulled into the wrong guest house but at least this time I was able to set him right before unloading.
When the light looked right I walked to 10 minutes to the Ayutthaya Historical Park and made my first stop at Wat Ratchaburana - วัดราชบูรณะ.
Next it was across the road to older Wat Maha That - วัดมหาธาตุ.
See below for more detail.
Wat Ratchaburana - วัดราชบูรณะ
Construction on the temple commenced in 1424 by King Borommarachathirat II on the cremation site of his two elder brothers: Prince Ai Phraya and Prince Yi Phraya, who had killed each other while dueling, while seated on their elephants, for possession of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the same location. For a fuller description see Ayutthaya History - Wat Ratchaburana
Wat Maha That - วัดมหาธาตุ
Famously this wat is home to the Buddha Head statue cradled by the roots of a Banyan Tree (ficus religiosa), the same type of tree that the Buddha is reputed to have mediated under when he gained enlightenment, giving the statue an added resonance. Both temples were leveled by the Burmese as a result their ruthless sacking of Ayutthaya in 1767, during one of the many wars between the two powers, directly leading to the fall of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and the rise of the Chakri Dynasty. See Ayutthaya History - Wat Maha That
