Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 730

statues of garudas (large, mythical birds)
swooping down on nagas. It's possible to
go down steep steps inside the prang
(central tower) to the crypt, where you
can make out fragmentary murals of the
early Ayutthaya period.

Museums
Ten minutes' walk south of Viharn Phra
Mongkol Bopit, the large Chao Sam
Phraya National Museum (Wed-Sun
9am-4pm; B150) holds numerous
Ayutthaya-era Buddhas, some fine
woodcarving and gold treasures such as
the original relic casket from Wat
Mahathat. he Historical Study Centre
(daily 9am-5pm; B100), a few minutes'
walk away along hanon Rojana,
dramatically presents a broad social
history of Ayutthaya with the help of
videos and reconstructions.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Viharn Phra
Mongkol Bopit
Further west is the grand, well-preserved
Wat Phra Si Sanphet (daily 8am-6pm;
B50), which was built in 1448 as a
private royal chapel; its three grey chedis
have become the most hackneyed image
of Ayutthaya. Save for a few bricks in
the grass, the wat is all that remains of
the huge walled complex of the royal
palace that extended north as far as the
Lopburi River.
Viharn Phra Mongkol Bopit (Mon-Fri
8am-4.30pm, Sat & Sun 8am-5pm), on
the south side of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, is
a replica of a typical Ayutthayan viharn
(assembly hall), complete with
characteristic chunky lotus-capped
columns. It was built in 1956, with help
from the Burmese to atone for their
flattening of the city two centuries earlier,
in order to shelter the still-much-revered
Phra Mongkol Bopit. his powerfully
austere bronze statue, with its flashing
mother-of-pearl eyes, was cast in the
fifteenth century, then sat exposed to the
elements from the time of the Burmese
invasion until its new home was built.

10

Wat Yai Chai Mongkol and Wat
Phanan Choeng
he colossal and celebrated chedi of the
ancient but still functioning Wat Yai Chai
Mongkol (daily 8am-5pm; B20), across
the bridge to the southeast of the island,
was built by the greatest Ayutthayan
king, Naresuan, to mark his decisive
victory over the Burmese in 1593. By the
entrance, a reclining Buddha, gleamingly
restored in toothpaste white, dates from
the same time.
To the west of Wat Yai Chai Mongkol,
at the confluence of the Chao Phraya
and Pasak rivers, stands the city's
oldest and liveliest working temple,
Wat Phanan Choeng (daily 8am-5pm;
B20), whose main Buddha image has
survived since 1324, and is said to
have wept when Ayutthaya was sacked
by the Burmese. he stunning murals
in the ordination hall have been
beautifully restored.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus and minibus Most buses to and from Bangkok's
Northern Bus Terminal use the bus stop on Th Naresuan,
near the main accommodation area, though some only
stop at Ayutthaya's Northern Bus Terminal, 5km to the east
of the centre, from where you'll need a tuk-tuk (B100-
150). Licensed, a/c minibuses to and from Bangkok's
Victory Monument and Southern Bus Terminal can also be
found on Th Naresuan (both about every 20min; 1-2hr
depending on tra c). Tourist minibuses to Kanchanaburi
can be booked through guesthouses.
Destinations Bangkok (every 20-30min; 2hr); Chiang Mai
(15 daily; 10hr); Chiang Rai (13 daily; 12hr); Lampang (17
daily; 8hr); Lopburi (every 20min; 2hr); Phitsanulok (15
daily; 5hr); Sukhothai (10 daily; 6hr).

Wat Na Phra Mane
Across on the north bank of the
Lopburi River, Wat Na Phra Mane (daily
8am-6pm; B20) is Ayutthaya's most
rewarding temple, as it's the only one
from the town's golden age that survived
the ravages of the Burmese. he main
bot (ordination hall), built in 1503, is
typically Ayutthayan: its outside
columns are topped with lotus cups,
and there are slits in the walls instead of
windows to let the wind pass through.
Inside, underneath a rich red-and-gold
coffered ceiling representing the stars
around the moon, sits a powerful
6m-high Buddha in the disdainful,
overdecorated style characteristic of the
later Ayutthaya period.