The very first temple we visited was War Phra Si Sanphet, and it was stunning. I really didn't know what to expect, this being my first time visiting Asian ruins. But this place gave me the nicest photos of my collection in terms of capturing the grand feel of the whole place. We didn't get a combo ticket. Instead, we paid at individual temple that we went. The price for foreigners and locals was very different. Locals pay only 20% of the price! Ha!
There are some ground rules to entering the temples. The usual common sense ones, and also, covered knee skirt/pants, and covered shoulder and back. My friend actually got us some thai cotton pants which was super comfortable. We all wore that one our day trip here :) It makes for a good photo at the end of this blog entry!
Some official info of some of the ruins. We were pretty early there, so it wasn't that crowded. We could just wander around and go up close to the ruins. There used to be great halls here, and temples and tombs with treasures. I only found out about these when I visited the museums and read about it.
I seldom read the info here, preferring to read it offline before the visit, or even after. Watching YouTube videos of it also helped. But to stand and read everything here would take up too much time.
I do spend insane amount of time and energy to get good photos. I'm only using my phones, so I can't take anything fantastic. But whenever I get a nice shot, it always made my day, my trip, my everything. Some photos captured more than just a moment. It also captures the feeling, the ambiance, the one life time of awe and adventure. Or just even the calmness of that second. I love photography, just not the technical part of it. I've given up my DSLR years back, cause it was just too bulky and heavy to bring around.
Here's a wide angle view of the place along with my 4 travel mates.
Next to the ruins, the modern temple of the same name is found. The architecture of the building was beautifully Thai.
Just outside the temple, a model reconstruction of Wat Phra Si Sanphet can be found.
Here is the full model of the whole place. It always amazes me to see this reimagined, vs the actual ruins I just saw. Sometimes I feel sad that something so beautiful could not be preserved or left to the future generation to admire. All we got is ruins, looted tombs, and ancient history.....
There are some Buddhist artefacts inside the modern temple too. And I love looking at these. For an atheist, I super love looking at religious items. I am easily amazed by them. Cause religion was something I could not understand, faith something I've never experienced.
I found a sandstone picture of Buddha in one of the main door's wall. I love arts like these. Simple, clean, and just minimalistic. Compared to the grand gold and jewels of Christian religious artefacts, vs Zen or Buddhist artefacts, I tend to geared towards the east. Even Islamic architecture or design fascinates me more than over-the-tops showcase of richness. It's a personal preference I guess.
In the Thai temple, they also have zodiac stupa where you can place your donations. Every religious sites, there is always places for you to make donations.... For luck, for wealth, for health, for anything.....Just a personal opinion, if someone tells me their God can grant them wishes, I am automatically not interested in the God. For if God exist, it shouldn't be a personal butler, but to do a better job to ensure every living thing has a better life on Earth, no?
Anyway.... here's another photo I love. My 4 travelling buddies, walking towards the beautiful Ayutthaya Ruins of Wat Phra Si Sanphet :)
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