Introduction
Ayutthaya is presently a modern city of around 60,000 population, some 80km from Bangkok in Thailand. Part of it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as it was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam for around 400 years up until 1767CE, and contains ruins of many of the religious structures from this and previous periods. In its day Ayutthaya (there are many variations in the spelling of this word like Ayuthaya, Ayodhaya and Iudea for example) was reported to be one of the most spectacular cities anywhere in the known world. Today it is a collection of monuments and precincts surrounded by the bustle of a modern regional city in Thailand.