Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya shortly known as Ayutthaya is the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. Ayutthaya was named after the Indian city Ayodhya, believed to be the birthplace of Rama in the Ramayana. In 1350 "King Ramathibodi I" founded the city Ayutthaya, he declared it to be the capital of his kingdom known as Ayutthaya Kingdom or Siam. During those period Foreign trading was happening in full fledge. Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Persians, and Indians were allowed inside their province for trade. This was followed by Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French. The foreign traders were allowed to set up villages outside the city walls. In the year 1360 Ramathibodi unified his kingdom and declared "Theravada Buddhism" the official religion of Ayutthaya. Members of the group Sangha - the Buddhist monastic community from Ceylon was brought to established the new religion in Ayutthaya. By the end of 14th century, the strongest power in Indochina was Ayutthaya 1767 witnessed the fall of Ayutthaya Kingdom; the city was destroyed by the Burmese army. This invasion was the last of many Burmese invasions of Ayutthaya. The ruins of the old city now forms the Ayutthaya Historical Park, this majestic work of art has been recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bangkok

Bangkok officially known as- The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated God, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn. This long name is still a world record, though in normal usage it is shortened to "Krung Thep" which menas "The city of angels". In 1782 Bangkok became the capital of Thailand and the centre of Thai government. Since 1780s, much of Bangkok's history has been dominated by the constant reformation of the old temples, palaces, and monuments in the city, as in Thailand. The kings had the divine responsibility to maintain their religion Buddhism and help the religion to flourish in a vast manner. Bangkok's history of the past 200 years is much interwoven with the Chakri dynasty which still reigns but no longer rules today. Bangkok was once known as "Plum orchard"- a beautiful, peaceful village surrounded by wild plum trees, it is much changed now with the shifting generations and positive innovations. The history says that the town was mainly inhabited by Chinese merchants and customs inspectors. Later king Rama 1 vacated those inhabitants and started building the new imperial city. Art and architecture was to the excellence of giving great masterpieces. The bricks from the old city of Ayuthaya were used to erect the city walls. In 1785 the predominant structure of the Grand Palace and the temple of the Emerald Buddha were completed. Thus the new capital Bangkok grew with great elegance covering the area on the eastern side of the Chao Phaya. The core intention for bringing Bangkok as the capital was that the city had a better location for protection from foreign incursions as it was separated by the river from the west bank. This vast region had canals dug around the city starting from the expansion of Banglamphu and Ong Ang canals to the east. These canals around the city where called "Kholong Rop Krung" which means the canal round the city. These canals together with other smaller ones were the source of Bangkok's nickname during 1850s "Venice of the East". Bangkok is now a happening city which is very lively all through the year. Bangkok is bundled with some good educational institutions, business forums, entertainment and lots more with the touch of its beautiful historic background.