Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

**Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya** (or **Ayutthaya**,  ) is ane o the central provinces (*changwat*) o Thailand. Neebourin provinces are (frae north clockwise) Ang Thong, Lop Buri, Saraburi, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom an Suphan Buri.

The name Ayutthaya derives frae the Ayodhya o the Ramayana epic.

## Geografie
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, coverin 2,556 square kilometres, is locatit in the flat river plain o the Chao Phraya river valley. The presence o the Lop Buri an Pa Sak rivers maks the province a major rice farmin aurie.

## History

Ayutthaya wis foondit in 1350 bi Keeng U-Thong. It wis the caipital o Thailand (then cried Siam) for 417 years frae 1350 till it wis sacked bi the Burmese airmy in 1767. Durin this era, nou uisually referred as the Ayutthaya period or Ayutthaya Kinrick, Ayutthaya wis ruled bi 33 kings o 5 different dynasties. The kinrick became a major regional player, an a tred centre o the East, a meetin pynt o European merchants an Asian traders. Notable monarchs durin the Ayutthaya period include Keeng Naresuan the Great, who leeberatit Ayutthaya frae the first Burmese occupation an embarked on a reign o conquest, an Keeng Narai the Great, who initiatit diplomatic relations wi Fraunce, durin the reign o Louis XIV. His reign wis the gowden age o tred an cultur.

The ceety wis poseetioned in a strategic poseetion. Durin several months o the year, the fluid plains aroond the ceeties wad be floodit bi the mony rivers aroond the ceety. Enemy sieges wur sicweys impossible, an forced tae athdraw. This advantage wis a contributin factor in the mony failed Burmese invasions.

The ruins o the auld caipital in the Ayutthaya historical pairk hae been a UNESCO Warld Heritage Site syne December 1991. The province is an aa hame tae the Bang Pa-in simmer palace complex.

Oreeginally named Krung Kao (กรุงเก่า), the province wis renamed tae Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya in 1919.

## Seembols
Accordin tae legend King Ramathibodi I foond a bonnie conch buried in the grund, an chose the site as the place for his future caipital. He then placed the conch on a pedestal tray an biggit a pavilion aroond it. The seal shows this pavilion wi the provincial tree ahint it.

The provincial flouer is ดอกโสน (Dok son) *[[Sesbania aculeata]]*, an the provincial tree is the Fragrant Manjack (*Cordia dichotoma*). The provincial slogan ราชธานีเก่า อู่ข้าวอู่น้ำ เลิศล้ำกานท์กวี คนดีศรีอยุธยา can be translatit as ***"Auld caipital ceety, fuid larder o the kintra, poet laureates galore, an naitional heroes"***.

## Admeenistrative diveesions

The province is subdividit intae saxteen destricts (*[[amphoe]]*), 209 communes (*[[tambon]]*)/sub-destricts an 1328 veelages (*[[muban]]*). Thare are twa destricts which hae the same Inglis/Scots name; housomeivver this is anerly acause the different pronunciation an sicweys different spellin in Thai gets lost in romanization. Ayutthaya is unique amang the provinces o Thailand in that the destrict o its caipital ceety is no cried *Amphoe Mueang [Ayutthaya]*, as the common scheme wad suggest, but rather *Amphoe Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya*:
{|
|- valign=top 
||
#Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
#Tha Ruea
#Nakhon Luang
#Bang Sai (บางไทร)
#Bang Ban
#Bang Pa-in
#Bang Pahan
#Phak Hai
||

Phachi
Lat Bua Luang
Wang Noi
Sena
Bang Sai (บางซ้าย)
Uthai
Maha Rat
Ban Phraek

## References