Ayutaya, Thailand Oct.27, 2013

Buddahs and Draemon

I am staying at Courtyard Bangkok on the weekend before going to Phuket beach for a business meeting. I planed to visit Jim Thompson’s house and Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya is a riverside city located approximately 80km north of Bangkok. The city thrived as the seat of the Ayutthaya Dynasty from the 14th century until the 18th century. All inhabitants left the city when Burmese invaded and burned to the ground in 1767. Now the area of the ruins of the city called Ayutthaya Historical Park is registered as a world heritage site. I joined the half day tour by Panda Bus tour. From the gathering point near a souvenir shop, I headed to Ayutaya by the operator’s bus in the afternoon. The tour includes Elephant riding at the park. However, I passed it cause I did not like riding on an elephant. We walked to the ruins after the riding. I found a stone in the shape of buddha’s head in the banyan tree roots. That is the famous place everyone knows. I walked around the park alone and saw the ruins of temples, pagodas, Buddah figures etc.

After the park, the guided tour took us to Wat yai chai mongkhon, where a famous reclining buddha of some 30meters long is located. The location is also known for Than Por Sitthichai shrine, or a Doraemon shrine, a Robotic cat cartoon character. People place the cat dolls as offerings. The shrine was built in memory of an unborn prince who died when his mother, Sunandha Kumariratana, one of King Rama V’s consorts, was involved in a boating accident in 1880. Many locals pray at the shrine and if their wishes are fulfilled, they lay down toys and children’s clothing as offerings. Later, stuffed Doraemon dolls were offered by the people, whose prayers were answered, believing that the prince’s spirit would be pleased with the popular Japanese cartoon character just as Thai children are.