Ayatthuya temples and nature

---

The walk to the historical area took me over the railway line and across the river by boat. I had the odd glimpse of a temple in the distance from almost everywhere. The sheer number of temples gave some idea of what a thriving and important place Ayattuya was. According to my audio guide it was a very hierarchical society with the majority, slaves and freemen being very low. I visited two temples with Khmer style architecture (the same as Ankor Wat in Cambodia). The main prang (tower) of Wat Ratchaburana still has stucco decorations. Inside the prang you can climb down steep steps to the crypt. There was an excavation here in the 1950s and the finds are now displayed at the museum. The next door Wat Maha That, built around 1380s is similar in its design and style, but the central prang has only the base remaining witha some of the stairs surviving. Here there is a famous Buddha head completely encircled by the roots of a banyan tree. Wat Pra Si Samphet is later and different in style. This was a royal temple and the three white towers commemorate three kings. After the temples I found my way to the Cho Praya museum. The museum does not advertise its presence and was very quiet, but it contains the golden treasures that werefound inside Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Maha That. As well as lots of gold Buddhas there was royal regalia including a sword and a golden elephant. The museum was so quiet that it was near here that I had my encounters with nature. There was a heron fishing on a canal not far from the museum and in the small lake in the museum grounds I was surprised to spot a large snake swimming across.

---