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Buddhist towers with remains of the kings, the historic city of Ayutthaya and associated historic towns.

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This is the ancient city of Ayutthaya in Thailand.

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The city thrived as capital of the Ayutthaya kingdom for some 400 years in the mid-14th century.

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It is located on the Thao Pha River about 100 kilometers north of its estuary.

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The city flourished as a safe haven.

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This is a map of Ayutthaya published in the Netherlands during the 17th century.

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It shows its position on an island about 4 square kilometers in area at the confluence of three rivers.

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33 successive kings of the Ayutthaya kingdom deified themselves and reigned powerfully over the people.

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Within this ruined temple complex stand some towers resembling Indian stupa.

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These three towers house the remains of three Ayutthayan kings.

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The dynasty built about 400 temples.

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People worshipped the Buddhist towers housing the remains of their kings.

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Kings proclaimed that they were as divine as the Buddha.

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Ayutthaya thrived under the reign of its deified kings.

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Its convenient location attracted many foreign ships.

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The city soon became a center for international trade.

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Buddhist art also developed here.

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Royal power was portrayed through the use of Buddhist statues.

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All of the seated statues here have their right hands pointing downward.

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It is a gesture to drive off evil spirits known as gormain.

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The statues have a unified style and identical posture.

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It suggests that the kings had control over expression in Buddhist art.

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Most of the standing Buddhist statues hold their hands up at shoulder level.

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These statues represent not only Buddha but also kings.

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Ayutthaya was completely destroyed in an attack by the Burmese in 1767.

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There is a Buddhist proverb that all glories must fade.

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It's applied also to this glorious kingdom where kings once divinized themselves as Buddha.

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A marvelous creation of nature formed through the mists of time.

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Buddha is smiling gently.