Ayutthaya (city)

:For other meanings see Ayutthaya.
Ayutthaya (full name Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, , ; also spelled "Ayudhya") city is the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. The city was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong, who came here to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri, and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam. Ayutthaya was named after the city of Ayodhya in India, the birthplace of Rama in the Ramayana (Thai, Ramakien). In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom, and the ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was refounded a few kilometers to the east.
It is estimated that Ayutthaya around 1600 had a population of about 300,000, and even 1,000,000 around 1700, making it one of the world's largest cities at the time.George Modelski, World Cities: –3000 to 2000, Washington DC: FAROS 2000, 2003. ISBN 978-0-9676230-1-6. See also Evolutionary World Politics Homepage.
==Ayutthaya Town Center==
*Ayutthaya Historical Study Center
*Chan Kasem Palace
*Chao Sam Phraya National Museum
*St. Joseph's Church
*Wang Luang
*Wat Chai Watthanaram
*Wat Lokaya Sutharam
*Wat Mahathat
*Wat Na Phra Men
*Wat Phanan Choeng
*Wat Phra Ram
*Wat Phra Si Sanphet
*Wat Phutthaisawan
*Wat Ratchaburana
*Wat Suwan Dararam
*Wat Thammikarat
*Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit
The city is located at the junction of the Chao Phraya, Lopburi and Pa Sak rivers, and on the main north-south railway linking Chiang Mai to Bangkok. The old city is on an island formed by a bend of the Chao Phraya on the west and south sides, the Pa Sak on the east side and the Klong Muang canal on the northern side. 
Approximate centre of the old city: 
Image:Ayutthaya-round-stupa.jpg|Rounder, corn-cob shaped stupa shows Cambodian (or Khmer) influence and is called a prang.
Image:Ayutthaya-pointi-stupa.jpg|Sharp-pointed pinnacle atop bell-shape, called a chedi of Ceylonese influence.
Image:ayuthaya_temple.jpg|Sharp-pointed pinnacle atop square shape, known as a chedi, is a distinct Thai style.
Image:Wat_Phra_Si_Sanphet_Ayutthaya_at_night.jpg|Wat Phra Si Sanphet at night.
== Media ==
==In popular culture==
*A Thailand-themed town named "Ayothaya" appears in the PC MMORPG Ragnarok Online.
*Ayutthaya is one of the background scenes in Capcom vs SNK2
*Full Lotus and the Bodhisattvas at Ayutthaya by Mary Heebner.
==References==
==External links==
*
* "History of Aythhaya - Your resources on old Siam"
Category:Ayutthaya Province
Category:Cities, towns and villages in Thailand
Category:1350 establishments
Category:Settlements established in the 1350s
Category:Buddhist pilgrimage
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