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Ayutthaya. Virtually all temples have been destroyed, and in following times ransacked by treasure-hunters. About all of the Buddha's heads are missing, to my disgrace supposedly residing in european museums or private art-collections... This is Wat Phra Mahathat, one of the largest temples in Ayutthaya, built to house remains of the Buddha himself. There are numerous Buddha's lined up next to the temple walls, and just about one head still remains, nested in the roots of a bodhi tree. |
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Wat Yai Chaiyamongkhon. A large reclining Buddha near the entrance of an ancient but still functioning monastery, established around 1300 as a meditation site for monks returning from Sri Lanka. |
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Wat Na Phra Men. This temple survived the ravages of the Burmese. Supposedly a cannon fired at the temple exploded inside the Burmese camp, killing their king in the blast, in a later devastating spree, they wisely decided to leave this specific temple untouched. The Buddha image inside is so big, that it is virtually impossible to see it all at once from anywhere inside the building. |