Ayutthaya - Thailand's Old Capital

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Today we went to Ayutthaya, Thailand's old capital city. We had our professor go with us as a guide, and it was amazing! The temples and ruins we went to were from the 16th century and earlier. First, we went to an old temple with a giant Buddha that was over 600 years old! The temples are so ornately decorated, and it was beautiful. We learned a little about Buddhism, and how it is a combination of Hinduism and does not focus on the supernatural. We learned about the murals on the walls and the holy water that the people dip the lotus flowers in and shake on their heads. After that, we went to another old temple with an old style Ayutthayan Buddha in it, you will notice in the pictures that the Ayutthaya Buddha is more ornately dressed. The temple had a beautiful garden behind it. Finally, we went to the ruins of an old temple, which was build when a general overthrew the king, and he had the temple build on the site of his mothers home to honor her. It was AMAZING, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The temple was destroyed when the Burmese finally overtook the city, and the capital was moved to its current location in Bangkok. It was an amazing day!

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Comments

[janet]

Climbing Around
I'm suprized that they let you guys climb in the temple ruins. The whole country looks so unlike Wayne County. Ya think!! Have fun