Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand Sep 9, 2023

When the sunset casts its spell over Thailand, the Wat Chaiwatthanaram Buddhist temple lights up to welcome the night at the Ayutthaya Historical Park. Even though the temple is not part of the nearby Historic City of Ayutthaya (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the ruin is just as divine, exhibiting meticulous details of rich history and architecture. King Prasat Thong—from the dynasty of the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom that ruled Southeast Asia between the 14th and 18th centuries—built the sanctuary to symbolise the centre of the universe and connote his aspiration to become the future Buddha. From the Buddhist temple, the Historic City of Ayutthaya can be reached by boat or road. Three rivers link the once-metropolitan city of the Siamese Kingdom to the sea. Now a historical ruin, Ayutthaya was an important point of commerce and diplomacy, with the advantages of the surrounding rivers serving as natural defence.

© Weerasak Saeku/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 9, 2024Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
Sep 9, 2025Eurasian red squirrel

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar, Pantanal, Brazil
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Nov 20, 2025Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil
Oct 25, 2024Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France
Apr 27, 2024Leucistic Annas hummingbird
Feb 6, 2024Lake Tahoe
Oct 7, 2024Bora Bora in French Polynesia
Sep 15, 2023Glenariff Forest Park, County Antrim, Ireland
Aug 7, 2025Gasparilla Island Rear Range Light, Boca Grande, Florida, United States
Sep 7, 2023Camels in the desert, United Arab Emirates
Dec 4, 2025Cheetah in Maasai Mara
Nov 25, 2024Maasai giraffes
Mar 29, 2025Superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California, United States
Jul 11, 2025Tokyo at sunrise, Japan
Dec 13, 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Mar 4, 2026Purple crocus flowers, Seven Rila Lakes, Bulgaria
Aug 13, 2025Corona Arch near Moab, Utah, United States
Jan 13, 2026Vale of Clwyd, Wales
Sep 13, 2024Point Reyes National Seashore
Jul 24, 2024Swaledale sheep in North Yorkshire, England
May 6, 2026Thunderstorm above the plains, Bulgaria
Jun 18, 2025Asian swallowtail butterfly
Apr 22, 2025Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Mar 19, 2026Short-beaked echidna, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Sep 16, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
Mar 1, 2025Aurora borealis over Spirit Island on Maligne Lake, Canada
Feb 14, 2025Magellanic penguins
Feb 28, 2026Oloupena Falls, island of Molokai, Hawaii, United States
Jul 3, 2025Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida, United States
Nov 11, 2024Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada