King Naresuan Shrine—Ayutthaya City, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

King Naresuan (born: 1555 - coronation: 1590 – death: 1605) is revered as a great king by the Thai people. During his reign he defeated a series of major Burmese invasions of Siam (Thailand, as it was then known), liberated those areas of Siam ruled by the King of Burma, and extended the boundaries of the kingdom of Siam. At his death Siam was a powerful and independent kingdom. In modern Thailand his name is remembered in a number of ways, including: an armed services memorial day, a university in his home town (Phitsanulok), and also in popular culture via a well received 2007 movie.

A shrine exists to his memory in the historical city of Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam, and a city which he both saved from the Burmese, and from which he later ruled. The shrine is treated as a palace, and the statue, as if it were the real king. Thus, one approaches the statue on one's knees, across a stone floor, as if seeking an audience. Not the easiest thing to do, for serious waymarkers only. The statue itself depicts the king seated on his throne

There is one thing to note. The shrine is surrounded with statues, both large and small, of chickens, most are brightly painted, one is gold. I was told by a knowledgeable Thai person that, according to legend, when the young and future king was a lonely hostage in Burma, his only friends were chickens. He played with them, talked to them, they were his constant companions. I have no knowledge of whether this is true, but there are certainly lots of chicken statues (100s) around the shrine. There are also statues of chickens in many other places in Ayutthaya.

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