SAVING AYUTTHAYA

Volunteers and locals flock to the ancient capital to clean temple grounds and scrub monuments

More than a month after it was engulfed by floodwaters, the province of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya is slowly getting back to normal as the waters recede. 

Most of the provincial seat is now dry and with houses, museums, temples, palace ruins and roads once again visible, people are beginning the long and arduous task of cleaning up.

In the distance, the slightly leaning Chaiyamongkol pagoda, built to honour the victory of King Naresuan the Great's victory over Burma, can clearly be seen. 

The ancient royal monastery of Wat Yai Chaimongkol, located just outside the city island, looks well on the way to recovery, with most of the temple grounds now free of water.

Last Thursday, a large group of volunteers gathered at the temple for Ayutthaya's big cleaning day. Lay people and monks spread out through the temple grounds, washing, wiping and pulling up dead trees. 

Sadly, the roots of all the ornamental orange jasmine trees rotted in the water but the hardier West Indian jasmine trees survived and are in full bloom.

"Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam for more than 400 years and acted as the centre of administration, culture and international relations of the Siamese kingdom. 

Today, Ayutthaya is the centre of cooperation among Thai people to help bring the old capital city back to its former glory and the smiles back to people's faces once again", says Ayutthaya's governor, Wittaya Pewpong,

And certainly, the folk in Ayutthaya are fighting the flood with big smiles. At Wat Ayodhaya in Hantra village, locals still commute to the main road in shallow muddy water

My one-story house was flooded up to the gables. We had to move to high land just behind the pagoda, and now the water has receded to chest level. I should be able to move back in about 10 days", says a local man with a broad smile.

Wat Ayodhaya is home to one of the oldest pagodas in Ayutthaya and its ruins are located just behind the new Ubosot hall. Historians believe this was the site of the old royal palace before it was relocated to Ayutthaya island. 

Two cows are eating grass on the pagoda's higher platform - more than three meters above the ground. "They climbed up by themselves. They've been living up there for more than a month now" says a local woman.

This small temple was holding a Loy Krathong festival later that night to give locals a break from the floods. The festival was also being celebrated at Wat Phanan Choeng, home to Luang Pho Tor, the 19-metre tall stucco Buddha image that dates back to the 14th century.

Wat Phanan Choeng is one of three temples that hasn't been affected by the floodwater, the other two being Wat Putthai Sawan and Wat Niwet Thammaprawat. According to the governor, Bang Pa-in Palace, Siriyalai Royal Residence and Bang Sai Royal Arts and Craft Center have also been spared.

An island at the confluence of three rivers, Ayutthaya is no stranger to flooding. Indeed, the rainy season was long known as the "flood season" or "reudu nam lark" and was never considered harmful in the olden days, as the entire economy was based on rice farming.

But while the physical geography hasn't changed, industrial development has sprung up around the area bringing with it a population influx. 

The governor says he wants a dam built on the Pasak and Chao Phraya rivers to protect the city in the long run. 

His aim is to give people their lives back, to restore the world heritage site back to its former glory and to boost Ayutthaya's chance of being selected as the host of the World Expo in 2020. "I believe we can accomplish it", he says.

Right now though, only a few visitors are cycling around Ayutthaya and the elephant strolling along the Historical Park has no tourists on her back. Viharn Monkholbopit, the building that houses Phra Monkholbopit, is still not open to visitors. 

It's possible to venture into the adjoining Wat Phra Si Sanpetch to visit the three pagodas and the Royal Palace ruins but the ground is still soft and wet and the water stains are visible on the old bricks.

Among all the religious centres of Ayutthaya, Wat Mahathat is regarded the most significant, as it once was a residence of the Supreme Patriarch. 

The temple is not completely dry, but the most photographed sandstone Buddha's head enmeshed in the tree trunks has now emerged from the water and the dark moss that used to cover the face has all but disappeared.

Lovers of Buddhist art cried when they saw photos of the giant reclining Buddha image at Wat Lokayasutharam submerged in the floodwaters. 

Now, the 29-metre-long reclining Buddha is more or less water-free and small fish and shrimps can be seen trying to escape from drying muddy ponds. 

A couple of tourists stop but rather than take photos, they start collecting garbage left by water in the temple yard.

Their simple gesture is a timely reminder that we too should all do our part in rescuing our precious heritage.

IF YOU GO...

Another big cleaning day in Ayutthaya will be organized on December 5 at nine temples, nine churches and nine mosques. For more details, contact Tourism Authority of Thailand, Ayutthaya office at (035) 246076-7