The temples of Thailand — overflowing with golden Buddhas, soaring spires, and glistening surfaces of infinite complexity — stir the spirit, inviting contemplation and wonder.

This Approach Guide serves as an ideal companion for travelers seeking a deeper understanding this fantastic landscape, profiling the Buddhist temples of Thailand’s three great capital cities: Sukhothai (1238-1368), Ayutthaya (1350-1767), and Bankgok (1782-present).

This Approach Guide is broken into two sections:

The first section, an overview, provides travelers with a deep understanding of the principal architectural structures in a Thai temple complex — stupa, prang, vihan, and ubosot — and the art forms used to decorate them (paintings and sculptures). To provide a complete picture, we provide floorplans, historical context, images that highlight specific features and decoration, and descriptions of the prevailing Thai aesthetic, including subject matter and stylistic development.

The second section offers detailed profiles of 36 specific temple sites for seeing the best examples of Thai painting, sculpture, and architecture in its three capitals. For each site, we discuss the overall layout, the exterior appearance, and the interior decoration. The overall goal of these site profiles is provide travelers with what is most important, a framework for understanding each site and what makes it special.

And all along the way, this guide provides our personal advice for getting the most from your experience.

This Approach Guide contains:

  • Over 150 high-resolution images.
  • Over 30 temple floorplans, with color highlights that make visual identification of key structures easier.
  • Quick reference checklists of the most distinctive features of art and architecture in each capital city.
  • High-level maps of Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, and Bangkok to ease navigation and plan your itinerary.

Sites profiled include:

  • Sukhothai : Wat Chang Lom, Wat Chedi Si Hong, Wat Chetuphon, Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Phai Luang, Wat Sa Si, Wat Saphan Hin, Wat Si Chum, Wat Si Sawai, Wat Trapang Ngoen, and Wat Trapang Thong Lang.
  • Si Satchanalai (Sukhothai satellite): Wat Chedi Chang Lom, Wat Chedi Chet Thaew, Wat Khao Phanom Phloeng, and Wat Khao Suwan Khiri, and Wat Nang Phaya.
  • Ayutthaya : Wat Chai Watthanaram, Wat Mahathat, Wat Maheyong, Wat Na Phra Men, Wat Phra Ram, Wat Phu Khao Thong, Wat Phutthaisawan, Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Si Sanphet, Wat Suwandararam, and Wat Yai Chai Mongkon.
  • Bangkok : Buddhaisawan Chapel, Wat Arun, Wat Benchamabophit, Wat Bowornivet, Wat Khrua Wan, Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of Emerald Buddha), Wat Suthat, and Wat Suwannaran.

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