A few hours’ train ride north from Bangkok sees the traveller jump onto Ayutthaya station with an uncanny sense of deja vu.
Thailand’s former capital imparts an unspoken grandeur. Its Buddhist temples, monasteries and sculptures prove as evocative as any edifice in the region. At Wat Chaiwatthanaram, 120 Buddha statues sit in an attitude of welcome peace.
One day, the place sat as the centre of all things. The world’s traders all flocked to Ayutthaya. They felt drawn by its golden palaces, fabulous opulence and strategic location. Act well in Ayutthaya, and doors would open. The riches of China, India and the Malay Archipelago lay in wait for canny merchants.
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The city grew to a monstrous size. At its peak, over one million residents made their lives in Ayutthaya. The world’s biggest city, coupled with the world’s largest population, stood alone, fierce and independent. Ayutthaya grew and grew and grew, as did its influence and splendour. And then suddenly it fell to nothing.
Falling away
In 1767, Burmese invaders burnt Ayutthaya to the ground. Gone were the temples, lost were the palaces, destroyed was the majesty. The traveller keenly feels this sense of loss. The temples are beautiful, their essence divine, their architecture awe-inspiring. But these husks only point to what came before.
A walk around the city shows the collapse of a titanic figurehead. The changing world left Ayutthaya behind. Its magisterial flame dimmed. And then the spark slowly, inexorably, away
Visitors may hear a faint crackling sound, a glimmer of conversation, a snatch of ribaldry. They may even catch a sideways glimpse of spectral flames. Perhaps they sense a great dynasty coming to an end. But when they come to, nothing has changed. Such is the story of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, the former centre of everything.
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