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:

Sep 4, 2024Dusky eagle-owls, Pakistan
Feb 5, 2024Monarch butterflies
Oct 3, 2025Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Oct 2, 2024Wind River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA
Jul 14, 2025Young blue shark
Oct 28, 2023Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Sep 16, 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
Apr 2, 2025Sandstone formations in the badlands near Caineville, Utah, United States
May 13, 2024Fish River Canyon, Namibia
Jan 4, 2025Bản Giốc – Detian Falls, Vietnam
Oct 2, 2025Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Wyoming, United States
Nov 11, 2024Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Nov 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah, United States
Jan 3, 2024Lake Minnewanka, Alberta, Canada
Aug 26, 2025Trullo buildings in Alberobello, Apulia, Italy
Apr 16, 2025Kachina Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
Oct 24, 2025RMS Queen Mary, California
Nov 11, 2024Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Dec 11, 2025The summit of Mount Everest at sunset, seen from Renjo La, Nepal
Oct 1, 2025Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
May 7, 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Apr 8, 2026Seattle, Washington, United States
Mar 23, 2026Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA
Aug 24, 2023Shark Fin Cove, California, USA
Jul 5, 2025Cize-Bolozon viaduct, France
Aug 25, 2025Calcite Springs Overlook and Yellowstone River, Wyoming, United States
Jul 5, 2024Daintree Rainforest and Noah Beach, Queensland, Australia
Oct 20, 2024Three-toed sloth in Costa Rica
Nov 13, 2024Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
Nov 15, 2025Irohazaka Road, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan