Ayutthaya Lak Mueang—Ayutthaya Town, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand - Buddhist Temples and Public Shrines on Waymarking.com

A 'City Pillar Shrine' represents the spirit of each province of Thailand, and each Thai province has an official Shrine. In Thai the term is 'Lak Mu-eang' (very difficult for a westerner to pronounce).

Ayutthaya city is the capital of the province of the same name (more formerly: Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya) in central Thailand, ~100kms north of Bangkok. The prominence of the province derives from its history. Between 1350-1767 AD it was the capital city of Siam (as Thailand was then known). At that time it had a population estimated to be on the order of one million, making it the largest city in the world. As it was the centre of a productive agricultural area, and on a major river transport route, it was also a very wealthy city. This all came to an end when the Burmese destroyed the city in 1767. This lead to the eventual transfer of the capital to what is now Bangkok.

The City Pillar Shrine for Ayutthaya is in a small park, immediately adjacent to a small Ayutthaya era temple (San Phra Kan). The shrine is constructed in the 'Ayutthaya' style, a raised base with four stairways leading up to the pillar. The shrine is white in colour. When I visited (August 2010) renovations were underway, and what looked like a museum was being installed in the ground floor display area.

The shrine is easily found, as it is directly opposite the Elephant adventure park.

Open to visitors?: Yes Photography Permitted Inside?: Yes Statue of the Buddha present?: No Related Website: Not listed

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Photos of the shrine are strongly encouraged when permitted otherwise please refrain from taking pictures inside and in any case, generally have respect for the religious nature of the site.

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