Ayutthaya, Thailand

Time travel back to the ancient period for a day in Ayutthaya.  The second capital city of Siam, modern-day Thailand from 1350-1767, is located in the north of Bangkok (Approx. 50 miles / 80 km away).

The city of Ayutthaya was once a thriving port city which was surrounded by three rivers (from the 14th to18th century).  

The Burmese army came and invaded the city in 1767.  What remained of the destruction is the ruins of the temples, monasteries, relics and statues.  Some parts (sites including: Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Sri Sanphet, Wat Phra Ram, and Wiharn Phra Mongkhon Bopit ) of about 290 ha of the area have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.  

There are 17 sites to visit, 14 of them are temples. At the ruins, there are many buddha statues without their heads.  

At Wat Mahathat, a buddha's head remained in the tree roots.  It is said that thievery was common after the Burmese invasion and someone tried to steal the buddha's head and it was hidden there but was left and forgotten.  And a tree grew over it.

Aside from the history of Ayutthaya, here is an interesting fact.  The reason for so many Wats ( temples ) in Thailand is because in the ancient days, every time a king married or had a child, he built a temple.