The Temples of Thailand

Destination: Thailand

Travel guidebook summary

The temples of Thailand’s historical capitals — Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, and Bankgok — overflow with golden Buddhas, soaring spires, and glistening surfaces of infinite complexity. We invite travelers to explore these wonders with our latest guidebook.

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Message from the author

“When we originally set out do a guidebook on Thailand’s Buddhist art and architecture, we thought we’d profile each historical capital separately, but once we were on location it was clear that the stylistic evolution from Sukhothai, to Ayutthaya to Bangkok was so striking that you could not profile one without the others. For this reason, in this guidebook, we stress this theme of stylistic development, always showing how each city relates to what came before. I think it’s one of our best efforts yet.”

Jennifer Raezer | Founder & Author, Approach Guides

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Guidebook Description

The temples of Thailand — overflowing with golden Buddhas, soaring spires and glistening surfaces of infinite complexity — stir the spirit, inviting contemplation and wonder. This Approach Guide reveals the country’s best art and architecture from its three great historical capitals: Sukhothai (1238-1368), Ayutthaya (1350-1767), and Bangkok (1782-present). It is yours to discover.

What’s in this guidebook

Art and architecture review. We provide an overview of Thai art and architecture, isolating trademark features that you will see again and again while touring. To make things come alive, we have packed our review with high-resolution images.

Tour of the highlights. Following our tradition of being the most valuable resource for culture-focused travelers, we offer a tour of Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Bangkok’s greatest Buddhist monuments (itinerary below). For each, we reveal its most important architectural and decorative features and offer a discussion that ties it all together.

Advice for getting the best cultural experience. To help you plan your visit, this guidebook supplies logistical advice, maps and links to online resources. Plus, we give our personal tips for getting the most from your experience while on location.

Information the way you like it. As with all of our guides, this book is optimized for intuitive, quick navigation; information is organized into bullet points to make absorption easy; and images are marked up with text that explains important features.

Table of Contents

Introduction

THE THAI STYLE

Thai Temple Architecture

Stupas

Prangs

Vihans and Ubosots

Architectural Decoration

Thai Painting

Subject Matter and Location

Painting Style in Sukhothai Period

Painting Style in Ayutthaya Period

Painting Style in Bangkok Period

Thai Sculpture

Buddha Images in Sukhothai Period

Buddha Images in Ayutthaya Period

Buddha Images in Bangkok Period

The Buddha’s Mudras

TOURING ITINERARY

Sukhothai (1238-1368)

Map

Itinerary

What to Look for in Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai

Wat Sa Si

Wat Trapang Ngoen

Wat Mahathat *

Wat Si Sawai *

Wat Saphan Hin

Wat Si Chum *

Wat Phra Phai Luang

Wat Chang Lom

Wat Trapang Thong Lang

Wat Chedi Si Hong

Wat Chetuphon

Si Satchanalai (Satellite Capital of Sukhothai)

Map

Itinerary

Wat Khao Phanom Phloeng

Wat Khao Suwan Khiri

Wat Chedi Chang Lom *

Wat Chedi Chet Thaew *

Wat Nang Phaya

Ayutthaya (1350-1767)

Map

Itinerary

What to Look for in Ayutthaya

Wat Ratchaburana *

Wat Mahathat *

Wat Phra Ram

Wat Si Sanphet *

Wat Na Phra Men *

Wat Phu Khao Thong

Wat Maheyong *

Wat Suwandararam *

Wat Yai Chai Mongkon

Wat Phutthaisawan

Wat Chai Watthanaram

Bangkok (1782-present)

Map

Itinerary

What To Look For In Bangkok

Wat Suthat *

Wat Bowornivet

Wat Benchamabophit

Buddhaisawan Chapel *

Wat Phra Kaeo *

Wat Pho *

Wat Arun *

Wat Khrua Wan *

Wat Suwannaram *

Background Information

Historical Capitals and Major Thai Rulers – Chronology

What’s Going On In the Rest of the World

Continuing Travel in Southeast Asia

About Approach Guides

Customer Reviews

Additional Info

The Temples of Thailand

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Message from the author

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