AYUTTHAYA (PART 2)

A CITY SURROUNDED BY WATER

#attimidiordinariafotografia

A woman cleans the street of a temple while a stork searches for food at the bottom of a pond - Ayutthaya, Thailand.

A white lotus flower among the leaves - Ayutthatya, Thailand.

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That rivers have always been a necessary prerogative at the basis of every civilisation is certainly not something new. Flipping through the pages of history books we find endless examples that highlight how water has been synonymous with life and above all with the possibility of a better and prosperous life. The same destiny characterised the birth of Thailand and the kingdoms that preceded it, which developed and followed one another over the centuries around the major waterways of the land. If we add to these facts, which are valid for every civilisation, the fundamental importance that the monsoons have held and still hold in this and other Asian countries, we can understand the centrality that it has assumed over the ages. It is not surprising, for example, that two of Thailand's most important festivals are centred on this very element: the first, Songkran, celebrated for three days in April, the hottest month of the year, involves the holding of water fights everywhere; the second, Loi Krathong, celebrated in some areas of the country, leads thousands of people down the Ping river to let small boats created with leaves, flowers and candles go down the watercourse.

Of the country's main rivers, the most important is undoubtedly the Chao Praya. Suffice it to say that three of Thailand's capitals, including Ayutthaya, were built on its banks. Originating in the north-central part from the confluence of two other important Thai rivers, the Ping and the Nan, it stretches for 372 km. When it reaches near Ayutthaya, together with the Pa Sak, its smaller confluent, it embraces the centre of the city, surrounding it and making it a river island. Within and outside these natural boundaries are major archaeological sites and historical parks, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. For this reason, although less than a few years ago, these waterways are still used to travel to different areas of the cities.

Thus, if the charm of the old capital is already made unique by the ruins and the tangible past that has been mentioned, the presence of water, thanks to its mirror-like play, flora and fauna, makes the atmosphere even more special. Here, then, are white and pink lotus flowers sprouting from the endless expanse of leaves belonging to the same plant, herons probing the canal beds in search of food with their slow, cadenced progress, reflections of stupas and ruined statues mingling in the sunlight.

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A white lotus flower amidst an expanse of leaves - Ayutthaya, Thailand.

A man fishes from the bank of a canal - Ayutthaya, Thailand.