Ayutthaya (full name Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thai พระนครศรีอยุธยา, pronounced eye-you-TEE-a) is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Ang Thong, Lopburi, Saraburi, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Suphanburi.

The name Ayutthaya derives from the Ayodhya of the Ramayana epic.

Geography

Ayutthaya is located in the flat river plain of the Chao Phraya river valley. Additional the Lopburi and Pasak make the province a major rice farming area.

History

Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand (then called Siam) from 1350 until it was sacked by the Burmese army in 1767. This period of Thai history is now usually referred as the Ayutthaya period or Ayutthaya kingdom. The ruins of the old capital in the Ayutthaya historical park are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The province is also home to the Bang Pa-In summer palace complex.

Symbols

According to legend King Ramathibodi I found a beautiful conch buried in the ground, and chose the site as the place for his future capital. He then placed the conch on a pedestral tray and built a pavilion around it. The seal shows this pavilion with the provincial tree behind it. The provincial flower is Sesbania aculeata , and the provincial tree is the Fragrant Manjack (Cordia dichotoma). The city's slogan กุ้งใหญ่คับคั่ง พระราชวังล้ำค่า พุทรารสหวาน อยุทยานฯเลิศล้ำ แหล่งทำมีดดาบ เอิบอาบวัฒนธรรม ศิลปชีพนำเด่น เมืองคนดีศรีอยุทยาน can be translated as "ancient city of plenty, poetry and patriotism".

Administrative divisions

The province is subdivided into sixteen districts (amphoe), 209 communes (tambon) and 1328 villages (mubaan). There are two districts which have the same English name, however this is only because the different pronunciation and thus different spelling in Thai gets lost in romanization.

External links

• Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand
• Golden Jubilee Network province guide