AYUTTHAYA (PART 1)

THE OLD CAPITAL OF SIAM

#attimidiordinariafotografia

A girl on a motorbike on the lawn in front of Wat Mahatat - Ayutthaya, Thailand.

A series of Buddha statues at Wat Mahatat - Ayutthatya, Thailand.

The famous sandstone Buddha head framed by the roots of a bodhi tree at Wat Mahatat - Ayutthaya, Thailand.

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Ayutthaya is one of those cities in the world where the past and history are still present, can be breathed at every street corner mingling with the modernity of today. Unique places that, asserting their value, manage to bend the slow passage of time in their favour and make themselves, thanks to that, even more beautiful: testimony to the life that was, they gently settle on the city plans like wrinkles on the faces of old people.

Founded in 1351 in the rich plains bathed by the Chao Praya basin, it soon became the epicentre of commercial actions and cultural movements that would lead, over the centuries, to the consolidation of Thai power in the area. Barely a century after its foundation, it became the capital thanks to the continuous growth and influence exerted over the Kingdom of Siam - a territory that roughly coincides with present-day Thailand. In the 15th century, it suffered the invasion of the Burmese Kingdom for some ten years, eventually becoming a province of it. Beyond this brief period, however, it continued its rule until 1767, going down in history as one of the strongest powers in Asia, described by European visitors as one of the most cosmopolitan and wealthy cities of the time. In that year it fell under new Burmese invasions that led King Taksin, ruler of the time, to make Bangkok the new capital.

Today Ayutthaya presents itself as a collection of archaeological complexes and parks dotting its territory with majestic temple ruins, coloured by the red of brick and the grey of stucco, and statues of the Buddha more or less intact. Walking through these sites and admiring the magnificence of what still remains, one cannot help but think of the grandeur such structures had at the height of their glory. With those images in my eyes, it was interesting to try to identify myself with the inhabitants of the city: people growing up, perhaps even being born and dying, surrounded by a past that becomes so present and inevitably everyday. What does it mean to observe the natural course of one's life with history as a backdrop?

A complex located in the centre of the city is of particular importance and has a certain fame also and above all for the presence of an element that, through the constant flow of images dominating contemporary media, has reached the eyes of many people around the world. We are talking about Wat Mahathat, founded in 1374 and considered the most important temple in the entire kingdom: within its walls one can see the sandstone head of a Buddha framed by the roots of a bodhi tree - the same species of tree under which the Buddha received his enlightenment. Various explanations have arisen about the presence of this sculpture and its location. The most popular are two: one attributes the pillaging and beheading of the Buddha statues to the Burmese as a result of the invasions, the other, hypothesises the unfinished business of some thieves who, unable to transport the heavy booty, decided to bury it without returning to retrieve it. Whichever version is correct, the head was brought to the surface by root growth and still remains, embedded but clearly visible, at the foot of this large Ficus religiosa.

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A view with two Buddha statues and a stupa point - Ayutthaya, Tahiland.

Children play near a stupa and some ruined Buddha statues - Ayutthaya, Thailand.