Dramatic love for heritage

Wat Chaiwatthanaram was commissioned in 1630 by King Prasat Thong on the site of his former residence to make merit for his mother, but Prince Damrong Rajanuphap believed it was a monument to celebrate Ayutthaya Kingdom's victory over Lawaek (the Khmer empire). This old royal temple has architectural similarities to Angkor Wat in Cambodia since its plan represents the universe according to old religious beliefs. It served as the grounds of the royal crematoriums for almost all kings and high-ranking royals of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Before the fall of Ayutthaya, the temple was turned into a military camp for soldiers to fight Burmese invaders. It became a deserted place raided and damaged by treasure hunters who stole the heads of Buddha images. It was restored by the Fine Arts Department during 1987-1992. (Photos by Jetjaras Na Ranong)

Ketsurang, a plump archaeologist, inadvertently travels back in time from the present day to the reign of the Ayutthaya Kingdom's King Narai the Great (1656-1688) over 300 years ago. Her soul resides in the body of a gorgeous yet mean woman, Karaket, whose soul left her body for hell due to her severe sins. While in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, she is mesmerised by the traditional way of life and the stunning beauty of palaces, temples, rivers, markets and forts. The novel-turned-TV series Bupphesanniwat (Love Destiny) is very popular nationwide and tens of thousands fans flock to Ayutthaya to visit the ancient sites.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram was commissioned in 1630 by King Prasat Thong on the site of his former residence to make merit for his mother, but Prince Damrong Rajanuphap believed it was a monument to celebrate Ayutthaya Kingdom's victory over Lawaek (the Khmer empire). This old royal temple has architectural similarities to Angkor Wat in Cambodia since its plan represents the universe according to old religious beliefs. It served as the grounds of the royal crematoriums for almost all kings and high-ranking royals of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Before the fall of Ayutthaya, the temple was turned into a military camp for soldiers to fight Burmese invaders. It became a deserted place raided and damaged by treasure hunters who stole the heads of Buddha images. It was restored by the Fine Arts Department during 1987-1992. Jetjaras Na Ranong

To educate the public, the Fine Arts Department recently organised a trip to Ayutthaya's old Grand Palace, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Wat Thanon Jeen, Phet Fort, St Joseph Church, Portuguese Village and Chao Sam Phraya National Museum. The excursion was joined by Sirikitiya Jensen, the youngest daughter of Princess Ubolratana, who is also a department official.

"We host this trip in order to promote the trend, ensure correctness of historical information, and better everyone's understanding and appreciation of history and the historic sites related to the series," Anandha Chuchoti, director-general of the Fine Arts Department, remarked.

According to him, the number of visitors to Wat Chaiwatthanaram per day surged from 800-900 on weekdays and about 1,000 on weekends before the start of the show to almost 20,000 on weekends this month.

Situated 76km north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya is not only important as a World Heritage site listed by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) but also a popular destination for Thai and foreign tourists to learn about the history, art and culture of Thailand.

The Ayutthaya Kingdom was established in 1350 by King U Thong as his capital. The city lasted for 417 years and was ruled by five dynasties and 34 kings. It was one of the 10 major Asian port cities depicted on an oil on canvas by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1663. Ayutthaya was lost to Burmese invaders twice. The last invasion was in 1767. The conservation of this old capital began during the reign of King Rama V. In 2016, Ayutthaya was visited by over 2 million people.

Ayutthaya City had three palaces -- the Grand Palace, Chantharakasem Palace, or the Front Palace for viceroys, and the Rear Palace for vice viceroys. The Grand Palace was the home of kings. Wat Phra Si Sanphet served as a royal temple and boasts three tall stupas dedicated to three monarchs.

According to the Third Regional Office of Fine Arts, Ayutthaya City Island, or Koh Muang Ayutthaya, was full of waterways as transportation routes, but many were filled decades ago. Only a few major canals, including Klong Chakrai Yai, which was mentioned in the TV series, remain.

Surrounded by water, Ayutthaya had 22 piers, 15 wooden bridges, 14 brick bridges and one laterite bridge. It boasted many floating and land markets, including four big floating markets.

The chronicle Kham Haikan Khun Luang Wat Pradu Songtham of the Ayutthaya period says: "There are floating markets by the river around the city. Four large floating markets are Talat Namwon Bang Kacha in front of Wat Phanan Choeng, Talat Pak Klong Khu Cham behind a Muslim mosque, Talat Pak Klong Khu Mai Rong and Talat Pak Klong Wat Doem behind Poon Tao Kong Shrine." There were also smaller markets called pa for selling specific kinds of goods.

Video by Jetjaras Na Ranong and Pichaya Svasti

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In the TV series, Ketsurang shopped for jewellery at Talat Chikun at the foot of the Chikun Tawantok Bridge, and fought with Chinese mafia at Talat Banjeen near the mouth of Klong Khun Lakhon Chai (Klong Takhian). She ordered a wok at Talat Noi and bought saffron robes at Talat Pha Lueng.

Many foreigners settled down in Ayutthaya due to its kings' open-door policy to promote trade. Certain pieces of art in Ayutthaya reflect foreign influence, such as murals depicting the Chinese in Wat Ratchaburana and some Western and Persian-style buildings dating to the reign of King Narai.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to trade with the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1511 and deploy a diplomatic delegation to Ayutthaya during the reign of King Ramathibodi II before inking a pact with Ayutthaya in 1516. In Thai history, the Portuguese are famous not only for their ships, guns and soldiers but also for their introduction of egg-based desserts, such as foi thong, by Maria Guimar, or Mae Mali in Bupphesanniwat.

During the trip at Wat Chaiwatthanaram, 60 participants in traditional costumes enjoyed eating foi thong and mamuang nampla wan (sour mango with sweet sauce) like Ketsurang does.

Seksalis Mangmeesup, one of the participants, said he was not a fan of this TV series, but felt the trend at least made people think positively about wearing traditional Thai costumes in daily life and become interested in history.

Situated by the Chao Phraya River in tambon Samphao Lom outside and south of Koh Muang Ayutthaya, Wat Phutthaisawan was a royal temple. It was established by King U Thong, the first monarch of Ayutthaya, three years after ascending to the throne. The location is where the king had his residence Wiang Lek Royal Mansion and a temporary community here before moving to establish the capital at tambon Nong Sano in 1350. The temple was used as a military camp for Burmese invaders led by King Bayinnaung, who surrounded Ayutthaya after his request for white elephants and horses had been rejected by King Maha Chakraphat. The temple's corncob-shaped stupa has a square shoulder and straight vertical sides and is enclosed by cloisters. Behind the surrounding pavilion where the dome stands are the ruins of a building with a reclining Buddha image inside. The temple boasts a former residence of Ayutthaya's senior monk Somdet Phra Phuttha Khosajarn. Its interior walls sport murals depicting angels and priests worshipping the Lord Buddha's footprint and Somdet Phra Phuttha Khosajarn's pilgrimage to Sri Lanka. The temple was registered as a historic site on March 8, 1935.

Among the highlights at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum are gold ornaments from the main stupas of Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat as well as the head of a huge bronze Buddha statue called Luang Phor Kae (Old Buddha), which was found on the grounds of Wat Thammikarat.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet was built in the compound of the Grand Palace. The rest of the palace land was later given to the temple when King Boromtrailokkanart relocated the Grand Palace to an adjacent location, north of the temple by the Lop Buri River, in 1448. At this temple, religious ceremonies were performed by monarchs and the royal family and oaths of allegiance were taken by royals and officials. The temple kept the bones of many kings and high-ranking royals. The three bell-shaped pagodas enshrine the bones of King Boromtrailokkanart, King Boromrachathirat III and King Ramathibodi II. The vihara luang (ordination hall) once boasted a standing gilded Buddha image Phra Si Sanphetchadayan, which was burned by the Burmese invaders during the fall of Ayutthaya. Its bronze core was relocated and kept inside Chedi Si Sanphetchadayan at Wat Pho in Bangkok.

Phet Fort is located in the southeastern part of Koh Muang Ayutthaya. It was the most important strategic point to protect Ayutthaya against invaders who travelled by boat since it stands at Bang Kacha where the Chao Phraya and Pa Sak rivers meet. This fortress was built of bricks and laterite and equipped with 24 cannons. It was 0.5m taller than the city walls. It has two gates and is surrounded by balconies and walls. It is one of the remaining two fortresses in Ayutthaya. The other one, Pratu Khao Plueak Fort, is located at Wat Ratcha Pradit Sathan.

Wat Thanon Jeen, or Wat Sam Jeen, is located near Klong Nai Kai where a Chinese community stood during the Ayutthaya Period. Now a deserted temple, it still has the ruins of a large vandalised stupa. Last year's excavation found traces of a prayer hall and an old stupa as well as fragments of Chinese-style sandstone Buddha statues and a stone sign engraved with Chinese letters and the year 1766. Also unearthed were broken pieces of pottery, Chinese porcelain and roof tiles.

Covering an area of 0.5km² overlooking the Chao Phraya on the west, the Portuguese Village is located in tambon Samphao Lom. On the opposite side of the river is the Japanese Village. The land was granted to the Portuguese as a reward for helping King Chairacha, who reigned from 1534 to 1547, in the Chiang Kran Battle. In that war, 120 Portuguese fought for the Siamese king, according to Portuguese traveller Fernao Mendes Pinto. The settlement had three churches headed by three Catholic religious orders: The Franciscans in the north of the settlement, Dominicans in the centre, and Jesuits to the south. The Portuguese Village was deserted in 1767. The ruins of the Dominican church of St Peter and St Paul, also called Sao Domingos, were excavated by the Fine Arts Department in the mid-1980s with funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. Many skeletons, coins, rosaries, crucifixes and Dutch clay pipes were found. The skeletons were mostly those from intermarriages. Historical evidence suggests that the bones mostly belonged to those who died of smallpox around 1696 and 1749.

The French settlement stood on the bank of the Chao Phraya outside the city walls. It was bordered by Klong Takhian on the west and Wat Phutthaisawan on the east. The first Roman Catholic church on this site was built in the 1660s, on land given to the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (Societe des Missions Etrangeres) by King Narai. The French society's bishops Pierre Lambert de la Motte and Francois Pallu arrived in Siam in 1662 and 1664 respectively. They stayed on and founded a mission to educate locals after they were warmly welcomed by King Narai who wanted to learn about France, European politics, the court of King Louis XIV and the Christian religion. This area was destroyed by invaders even before the fall of Ayutthaya. The church was rebuilt in the reign of King Rama IV in the mid-19th century. The present Victorian-style building dates to the reign of King Chulalongkorn when St Joseph's was rebuilt again by French Bishop Jean-Louis Vey, and consecrated in 1891.

"We encourage visitors to wear traditional Thai costumes to Wat Chaiwatthanaram as part of our campaign to encourage visitors to observe their behaviours and appreciate history. It works. Earlier, some tourists climbed the historic sites and took photos in inappropriate ways. Starting on March 4, the ongoing campaign coincides with the Bupphesanniwat trend," Sukanya Baonoed, director of the Ayutthaya Historical Park, said.

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 Ayutthaya can be reached by private car, public bus, van or train.

▶ By carROUTE 1: From Bangkok, take Highway 1 and then Highway 32 to Ayutthaya. ROUTE 2: Take Highway 304 or 306 to Pathum Thani and then Highway 3111. Turn right at Sena to take Highway 3263.ROUTE 3: Take Highway 306 to Pathum Thani and turn left at the turn off to Pathum Thani to take Highway 347 to the Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Centre, Bang Sai, and onto Ayutthaya.ROUTE 4: Take a city road to access the new Highway 9, the Outer Ring Road and exiting at the Bang Pa-In interchange to take Highway 32 to Ayutthaya.

▶ By bus Both air-conditioned and regular buses depart from Bangkok's Mo Chit 2 Terminal to Ayutthaya daily.

▶ By Train Ayutthaya can be reached by northern- and northeastern-bound train daily. Visit railway.co.th or the SRT Call Centre on 1690.

 Visit facebook.com/TatAyutthaya or call 035-246-076-7