Ayutthaya - Ancient Thai Capital

The following day we headed out the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya. In the Thai religion, chedis (the large, bell shaped buildings with a tall spire on top) are built to house the remains of famous people, generally a king, a member of the royal family, the Buddha himself or a close disciple. This particular capital has three chedis, containing the ashes of 3 of the 15th century kings. These buildings, and all chedis for that matter, are considered to be extremely important so the Thai people will go to great trouble to never disturb a chedi found anywhere in the country. Hence you will find them in the middle of fields, or as the center of a traffic circle.
The old capital was destroyed during the war with Burma. The Burmese burned and looted the capital, destroying the vast majority of it. The chedis survived, but they are now burned and blackened rather than the more traditional white. The massive buildings constructed during this period of time were primarily made of bricks – bricks that were looted and put to various uses over the ages, including the wall of the imperial palace now located in Bangkok.