Welcome to the “land of smiles!” Thailand is a country that has a bit of something for everybody. Amazing culture, fantastic nightlife, delicious cuisine, friendly locals and, most importantly, historical background that most tourists tend to overlook. Sure, the streets are buzzing with excited visitors looking for a nightclub or a local market full of hagglers, but if you’re a history buff, you may want to go out and take a look at these historical cities and monuments instead. Read on to learn more.
Ayutthaya
Whether you decide to go on your own, with a friend or with a beautiful companion from a quality escort service in Thailand, one of the most popular tourist destination, in terms of historical cities, has Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya used to be Thailand’s capital and was so for over 400 years before it was destroyed by the Burmese army. Ayutthaya now stands as a historical park where you can see the ruins of temples, statues and the famous “temple of the reclining Buddha.” You may also want to go on the hunt for the Wat Chaiwattanarm (the royal temple’s) 120 gold Buddha statues. There is even a Buddha head that is inside of a tree. This tree is known as Wat Phra Mahathat and has a very interesting history behind it. It was normal for Burmese soldiers to decapitate the statues of Buddhas around the cities. This was the fate of this Buddha statue but then had a tree grow around it. The face is now within the tree’s trunk!
Wiang Kum Kam
You’ve heard of the lost city of Atlantis, but have you ever heard of Thailand’s lost city of Wiang Kum Kam? If you visit this historical destination, you will be blown away by the palace’s three-story complex. It is honestly a beautiful ancient site but has an amazing backstory. Originally Wiang Kum Kam was the capital of Lanna kingdom. However, the King was forced to move cities because the city was flooded by the nearby Ping River. Due to the consistency flooding, the city was soon lost and forgotten. 1000 years later and the ruins of Wiang Kum Kam were discovered by archaeologists. It was predicted that the temple dated back even longer than two centuries.
This location is in a stunning jungle that gives the entire area a mysterious feeling. You can see the Wat Chedi Lam temple that is the centrepiece of the entire area. However, you are also welcome to explore the ruins.
Si Satchanalai
Similar to Wiang Kum Kam, Si Satchanalai is a set of ancient 11th- century Khmer sanctuaries, hidden in the forest hills and fields next to the Yom River. This area is a hidden gem that the majority of tourists don’t know it exists! That means that you can explore these ruins at your own pace.
The area contains a number of 1000 Khmer-style temples that were previously embellished with a Sukhothai-style and were most likely home to pottery makers. The ancient buildings also hosted a number of monasteries that contained Thai art, Buddhist images and elephant statues. This area does allow for cyclists and has a nearby market that you can enjoy local handicrafts and food.
Sukhothai
If you go to Si Satchanalai, you will be happy to know that there are additional historical monuments that are only about an hour away! Sukhothai tends to be more popular than Si Satchanalai and is known as the ancient temple of the golden age. It was established in 1238 and its ruin still stands today as a homage to one of the first Siamese kingdoms. The most impressive area is Wat Mahathat, a temple in the centre of the city, but keep in mind that it is mostly in ruins now. It will take about a day to explore all of Sukhothai, so give yourself enough time to have a good look around.
Lopburi
If you are hanging around Bangkok, then you may want to visit Lopburi, affectionately nicknamed “the city of monkeys.” Lopburi is one of the oldest cities in Thailand. It served as the second capital of Ayutthaya Kingdom during the 6th century, but now it is divided into Lavo, Lavapura and Lenovo. The monkey temple, aka. Yot Temple, is one of the most divine pieces of architecture in all of Thailand and is surrounded by monkeys. If you fancy seeing several species of monkey and love hanging around ancient buildings, this is the area for you. Just keep in mind, it does cost 150 Baht to enter the temple and the monkeys do have a habit of stealing tourist property!
Where will you visit?
There are so many beautiful sites to see when you go to Thailand. Yes, you are more than welcome to experience the bustle and hustle of the city streets, nightlife and market places, Just don’t forget to go and experience the history of the area as well. There are so many beautiful temples to visit, just remember to give yourself enough time to explore them.
Have fun!