The once luxurious capital of the Kingdom of Siam, Ayutthaya, is a giant open-air museum full of ancient sacred temples and relics of the cultural heritage of Buddhism. In former times, 33 great kings ruled this place. The destiny of the whole kingdom had been decided there many times until the Burmese army attacked and destroyed the largest city in the world in 1767. Even the King of France Louis XIV admired its beauty and wealth. Each ruler of Siam aspired to contribute to the development of Ayutthaya. They erected temples and stupas, built pagodas and sculpted statues. By the high point in the 18 century, there were more than 1500 temples and about 5000 statues of the sacred Buddha in the city. Unfortunately, not all monuments of ancient architecture could survive till now. But the surviving ones are striking in their beauty and scale.

While contemplating the ruins of the eternity of no less than a hundred temples, the most outstanding stone prang Wat Ratchaburana cannot be ignored. According to the local legend, the temple was built in 1424 on the cremation place of elder brothers of King Borommorachathirat II, who died in a desperate battle for the royal throne after the death of their father. Three images of Buddha made in 1424 demonstrate the date of the shrine's foundation. They were found during the restoration along with other relics like golden coins and royal regalia of the 15th century. They also retrieved many treasures during the opening of the crypt after the robbery in the middle of the 20th century. More than 2000 artifacts (most of them of pure gold) were discovered in the dungeon. Today, they are shown at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum. But the main reason for tourists to go in search of adventure in the temples is the staircase in Wat Ratchaburana. It is the only opportunity to look inside the Buddhist prang of Ayutthaya.