Wat Ratchaburana, Ayuthaya, Thailand

The last Wat that I visited in Ayuthaya, Wat Ratchaburana, a fifteenth century Wat seemed to be in a very good condition. The statues of Buddha in standing gesture at each grotto of the prang were in good condition. The statues of Garuda( a mythical bird) and Nagas(serpent) were intact. I had a happy time clicking and freezing the sculptural delights of fifteenth century.



The Wat, we were told was built by King Boromaraja II, to hold the remains of his elder brothers who died fighting each other - on elephant back in a battle - over who would succeed their father to rule the great Ayuthaya empire. Two Chedis now stand at the place of cremation of the brothers.



In 1957 looters dug into the main prang and stole the treasures and valuable materials. The local police there later retrieved them. If only the looters channelised their talents of treasure hunting to become good archeologists! More digging took place after that and a lot of ancient valuables including royal regalia made of gold and precious stones were found. They are on display at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum in Ayuthaya. The photos of the items were on display inside the tower of the prang. In the lower storey of the tower there were murals on the wall which are not very clear.



The contrast in the landscape around was very much evident in the view from the top. The ruins against the modern buildings that have come up around was a great sight. It was like standing in a fifteenth century time frame and watching the developments of twenty first century around. And I just didn't want to come out of the frame then.

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Wat Mongkhon Bophit, Ayuthaya, Thailand

To the south of Wat Phra Si Sanphet within a walkable distance is this beautiful Wat, Wat Mongkhon Bophit; a mix of old and new temple architecture of Thailand. Initially it was just a Mondop built to protect the huge bronze Buddha image, but in 1706 A.D. the top part of the Mondop and the head of the image was damaged by a thunderbolt. The Mondop was then converted in to a Vihara by the then King.


Unfortunately in 1767 the Vihara was again damaged, this time in a fire and the head and right arm of the image was completely broken. The image was again repaired and the Maha Wihaan (the big sanctuary) was built. It got a face lift again in 1956 and that explains the beautiful condition of the Wat.

All these stories of the huge Buddha image I heard and read before I entered the Wat. On entering the Wat I was left speechless seeing the actual hugeness of the image, it was shining so brightly that it seemed to be made of gold to me. Definitely an image worth protecting and preserving for the future generations.

A Buddha face pasted with real gold leaf on display there. Couldn't resist taking a close shot of it.

Also an old photograph on display showing the damaged image.

Another interesting bit is that in 1955, the Burmese Prime Minister visted and donated 2,000,000 Bahts to help restore this Wihaan and the image. An act of belated atonement for his country's sacking of the city 200 years back.

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Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayuthaya, Thailand

21st Sept, 2009, we were in Ayuthaya touring the magnificent ruins there. It is a pity I planned only a single day for this wonderful place, with just four hours in hand we were hurriedly hopping from Wat to Wat. Some of them were small so it didn't take much time but a couple of them were big huge ones covering acres of land. Wat Phra Si Sanphet was one such place. There was lots to explore in the ruins there and the 45mins we spent there was just not sufficient.

(Do click to enlarge the pics and view.)

Wat Phra Si Sanphet was originally built in 1448 and was used as the kings chapel. The royal palace was later converted in to a monastery. The three main Chedis belonged to 15th century, they enshrine the ashes of three Ayuthaya kings. There was a 17m tall bronze standing Buddha image which was covered with gold. It was made in 1500 during the reign of the ninth king of Ayutthaya, King Ramathipodi. Buildings were renovated in 16th and 17th centuries.

(Seated headless Buddha images.)

In 1767 the invading Burmese tried to melt the gold of the image, but in the process the image and the temple was destroyed. Nothing much was visible about this image. It was ruins all around, the bricks crumbling to dust and soon will be in level with ground. Lot of greenery all around, and the site is well maintained, one of the Wats where they have an entrance fee of 150bahts for foreigners. A grand place to visit, if you are ever there.

Wat Phra Mahathat, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Wat Phra Mahathat famous for the Buddha head of sandstone embraced by the roots of a huge tree. A religious wonder; nobody knows how the head got embedded there. One of the theories is that a broken image could have been abandoned there after the Burmese attacked Ayuthaya and ransacked the Wats. Actually there are a lot of interesting stories around all these... waiting to be told. If only the language wasn't a barrier.



Tourists were flocking all around to get themselves photographed with this religious wonder. Tourists with interest in photography were seen taking shots from every possible angle. I too made full use of the opportunity. The spot was inaccessible as there were poles with chains restricting people from getting close. And most of them were focusing to get the auspicious image without the man made stuff around.


Building began on this royal monastery in 1374 and was completed during the reign of King Ramesuan (1388-95). All that remains now are ruins with series of beheaded Buddhas. Some of the smaller stupas are still intact, but the main prang has vanished and only the base remains.

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Peechavaram, Mangrove Forests

I did a bit of eco tourism a week back at Peechavaram, near Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. Peechavaram is the World's second largest mangrove forest in the world covering an area of 2800 acres. Till then I had only read in books and seen pictures of the mangrove trees, it was always very difficult for me to visualize these floating trees. At Peechavaram, I saw them for real... trees floating... their long finger like roots extending into the water searching for a firm grip of land.



The boat man took us to the interiors, through the canals and creeks, the scene was absolutely breathtaking. Many song sequences of different Tamil movies have been shot here, he told us proudly, the most recent one was of Kamal Hassan's Dasavataram. The huge stretch of the mangrove trees is separated from the sea, The Bay of Bengal in the east by a sand bar. It seems there are 4000 canals encircling 1700 islands.


I spotted numerous birds and could identify a few of them. I scanned the tree roots to see if I could spot any water snakes wound around the roots well camouflaged.

During the Tsunami of Dec 2004, the loss of lives around this particular stretch of mangrove trees was less compared to other parts of coastal Tamil Nadu. The entire stretch of trees were uprooted and ravaged by the wild waves, but they absorbed the shock and protected the people living around. The boatman narrated how fishermen who saw the approaching tall waves moved in to the mangrove trees escaped the wrath of the deadly Tsunami.

People around now care for these trees more, having learnt the lesson that: If man protects nature, it will protect man from its fury.


This is eco tourism: responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low impact and (often) small scale. It helps educate the traveler; provides funds for conservation; directly benefits the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and fosters respect for different cultures and for human rights.

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Ghost Crabs

Last weekend was spent tracking Ghost Crabs. Real crabs called Ghost Crabs. I followed one, it was difficult because his pale sandy colored coat and his speed kept me confused. Each time I would focus and zoom in, he would scurry off diagonally. It was difficult keeping pace with him and his speed of 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s). It was his vertical, cylindrical eyes that helped me spot him each time. The eyes have sharp 360degree vision, which help them spot flying insects and catch them mid-air.


I found it interesting to watch him build his home, the tiny one would throw out sand from the hole almost equal to his weight and then would settle down below. I waited for a while for it to come out to wet its gill to obtain oxygen. It never resurfaced, probably it must have exited through another hole.



I searched in vain for a female one with its egg sac as they frequent the water more often to keep the eggs wet. Most of them were tiny probably still in their baby stages. The sun was about to set and I wished it was a full moon night, the beach at Karaikal, Tamil Nadu would have been then filled with these tiny Ghost Crabs scuttling across facing the moon.

I wish all my readers A Very Happy and Safe 2010.

Ghost Crabs

Last weekend was spent tracking Ghost Crabs. Real crabs called Ghost Crabs. I followed one, it was difficult because his pale sandy colored coat and his speed kept me confused. Each time I would focus and zoom in, he would scurry off diagonally. It was difficult keeping pace with him and his speed of 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s). It was his vertical, cylindrical eyes that helped me spot him each time. The eyes have sharp 360degree vision, which help them spot flying insects and catch them mid-air.


I found it interesting to watch him build his home, the tiny one would throw out sand from the hole almost equal to his weight and then would settle down below. I waited for a while for him to come out to wet his gills to obtain oxygen. He never resurfaced, probably he must have exited through another hole.



I searched in vain for a female one with its egg sac as they frequent the water more often to keep the eggs wet. Most of them were tiny probably still in their baby stages. The sun was about to set and I wished it was a full moon night, the beach at Karaikal, Tamil Nadu would have been then filled with these tiny Ghost Crabs scuttling across facing the moon.

I wish all my readers A Very Happy and Safe 2010.