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 center 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 defense.

© Weerasak Saeku/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

The other great barrier reef
Sep 9, 2024Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
Sep 9, 2025A female Eurasian red squirrel, Switzerland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

This museum sets the prairie on fire
So fresh, so clean
Mar 16, 2025Baby giant panda, China
An experiment in sustainability
Jun 26, 2025Horse Head Rock, New South Wales, Australia
Sep 15, 2025Black-winged stilts, France
Oct 9, 2023Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
Nov 23, 2025Fibonacci Day
Staying in the loop
Jul 3, 2024Meerkat family
Nov 10, 2023Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
Rebels of the owl world
Dec 9, 2024Two Guanacos, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Blue as far as the eye can see
Hangin around
The ancient home of the Minoans
Dec 28, 2025Mangalore, Karnataka
Jul 20, 2024International Moon Day
Apr 27, 2025Coastal redwoods in Redwood National and State Parks, California, United States
A day for cousins of every stripe
Jul 23, 2024Methoni Castle, Messinia, Greece
This blue succulent is as good as gold here
Feb 19, 2024Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain
Jul 17, 2024Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
Jun 17, 2024Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird
Why is this cliffside ablaze?
Nov 3, 2025Jellyfish swimming in the Pacific, Guerrero, Mexico
Jan 10, 2026The Matterhorn reflected in Lake Stellisee at sunrise, Zermatt, Switzerland
Sep 20, 2024Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, USA
Have a merry little Christmas