Ayutthaya and Their Boats

Ayutthaya and their boats

Ayutthaya had been housing some of the best boat crafters out there for quite some time. Dating back from the time of King Narai’s reign, beautifully crafted long boats had had records of it’s existence. 

 Travelling by boat in the city of Ayutthaya had been a local tourist attraction for many years now, but little do people know that the city once had more canals than roads, which led to people using boats to travel more often from one house to another. It was also no surprise that his royal highness, king Narai, had some gorgerously crafted boats at his disposal as means of travel. 

Despite having said that the people of Ayutthaya would use boats to travel from one place to another, common citizens of the past had other means in optimizing their vehicle, that is, to live in the vehicle altogether! Makes you think of those mini houses that people bring along on the road, no?

Putting aside the two main functions stated above, boat races are also anually held in the city of Ayutthaya, where a festival would be held at the time when water levels are at their peak, right after the rainy season ends. The Long-boats used would appear to be made completely out of wood, with a length up to 30 meters long. One of the oldest traditional festivals in Thailand, arranged during the Thai Buddhist Lent Period.

 

 
As a city with a long history involving boats, Ayutthaya had, in fact, attracted a boat enthusiast,Prof. Paitoon Khaomala, to build his own museum of Thai boats, the Thai Boat Museum. The museum itself houses a lot of different kinds of boats, from exquisite miniatures of the royal barges, small boats used for transport, to big market boats unique to the culture. Website could be found here.



 

http://www.thailand-guide.com/ayutthaya/attractions.htm

https://www.thailandee.com/blog/en/index.php/2823-traditional-boats-racing-festivals-season-about-to-start-in-thailand
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https://yourthaiguide.com/thai-royal-barge-museum-in-bangkok/
https://www.klook.com/activity/391-ayutthaya-experience-bangkok/
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https://thailandtourismdirectory.go.th/en/info/attraction/detail/itemid/3570
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