Wat Chaiwattanaram is the first stop to Ayutthaya. We had breakfast before we walk around and took pictures. The wat was nearly totally ruined. It left only the uncompleted Buddhas and bricks. Wat Chaiwattanaram is a very real symbol of the artistic attainment of the Ayutthaya period. It was built during the reign of King Prasat Thong, a period of great prosperity arising out of much activity in foreign trade. It is believed that the wat is located on the site of his former home. The reason for his building this monastery was to make merit for his mother. The main prang is in the early Ayutthaya style. The four lesser prangs, however, are in the style of King Prasattong. They have seven levels. The form of eight lesser prangs might have been taken from the shape of a royal cremation tower in the Ayutthaya period. Its main stupa represents the restoration of ancient beliefs and traditions in depicting Mount Meru, the abode of gods and center of the universe, surrounded by small!
             er ones, as influenced by ancient Khmer architecture.
             Wat Chaiwatthanaram was a royal monastery. It is a wat where the king and his descendants would perform religious rites; thus renovation would have been continuous. It was also used as a cremation site for the princes, princesses, and the royal family. When prince Thammathibet died, for instance, King Borommakot decreed that an area in the wat be used as the site for his cremation.
             Chao Sam Phya National Museum was the second stop. We saw different types of money and buddhas, ceramic wares and left over gold. The Burmese took so many gold away from Ayutthaya and left only a little bit. There was a very special Buddha that was in a position of sitting on the chair. The Buddha was cut into half and was found in two different places, because during that time the Ayutthaya people transfer the first half to Ayutthaya and the lower half was still in Nakorn Phathom then the war happen. There was only th...