Nepali Times introduces history of Thailand through Buddhist architecture in an eight-part series.
The Architecture of the Ayutthaya Style (middle 14th-middle 18th centuries AD) had splendour, ruin and is a bridge to the new era.
Thailand’s Ayutthaya art was inherited fromU Thong and Lop Buri art, the style created in central Thailand in the early period. According to
Thai history, the Ayutthaya Period commenced in 1350 AD when the Ayutthaya kingdom was founded as the second capital city of Siam by King U Thong or King Rama Thibodi I. The New capital quickly grew into a powerful kingdom and finally incorporated Sukhothai in 1463 AD, during the reign of King Borommatrairokkanat.
The architecture of the Ayutthaya Period maybe roughly divided into four sub-period as follows:
The First Sub-Period begins in 1350 A.D., when King U Thong founded the Ayutthaya kingdom, down to the end of King Borommatrairokkanat’s reign in 1488 A.D during this period, the prang was popularly constructed as the principal monument of various monasteries.
The style of Early Ayutthaya Period prang could have been influence by the main prang at Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat in
Lop Buri but with a taller form and more superimposed redented square base. Example are the main prangs at Wat Phutthaisawan, Wat Phra Phra Ram, Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat and Wat Ratchaburana, all in Ayutthaya.
The Second Sub-Period refers to the phase from 1488 to 1629 AD, the principal monuments of Buddhist monasteries were erected in the form of the round Singhalese-type stupa, instead of the prang as in the first sub-period. This tradition can be exemplified by the three main chedis in a circular plan at Wat Phra SI Sanphet in Ayutthaya.
The Third Sub-Period refers to the reign of King Prasat Thong between 1629 and 1656 AD and constructing the prang as the principal monuments of the monasteries was popularised again.
Example is Wat Chai Watthanaram in Ayutthaya. During his reign, architects were sent to Cambodia to study the stylistic feature of some Khmer monuments so that they could later erect a pavilion in imitation of what they had seen in Ayutthaya kingdom.
The Fourth Sub-Period starts at the beginning of King Borommakot’s reign (1732 A.D) and lasts until the Ayutthaya kingdom was devastated by Burmese in 1767 A.D. During this period, the popularity of the twelve-and –twenty-rabbeted-angled chedis in a square plan still lingered on. Also, many ancient monasteries and monuments were restored, especially in the reign of King Borommakot who determined to renovate the old religious structures rather than build new ones.
A remarkable example is the monastery and main che of Wat Phukhao Tong in Ayutthaya. Unfortunately, most of ubsot and wihan buildings of the Ayutthaya
Period have badly deteriorated. Only some structures of the Later Ayutthaya Period remain for stylistic study. By studying these ancient building, the ubosot and wihan usually had curved bases and roofs with round brick columns. The superimposed gable roof consisted of wooden structures members, roofed by terracotta or glazed tiles and decorated with wooden architectural ornaments. The wooden members are all nonpermanent materials. That’s why the structural part which first suffered from damage was usually the roof and follow by the walls and eventually the base.
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