Ayutthaya’s gold treasures on display at the newly-refurbished Chao Sam Phraya Museum

via Bangkok Post, 23 February 2023: Time to revisit the gold collections in Ayutthaya again!

As a result of this scenario, the Fine Arts Department began to explore historical sites around Ayutthaya island, particularly Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Maha That, where a collection of gold artefacts and gemstones, Buddhastatues and hundreds of thousands of votive tablets were unearthed.

All of the objects from the two temples were temporarily kept at the National Museum Bangkok, Ayutthaya city hall, police station and temples. In 1959, several votive tablets found in the crypts of Wat Ratchaburana were auctioned off to the public to raise funds for the construction of the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum. The building took 3.4 million baht to build and opened in 1961.

For six decades, a selection of 1,000 gold artefacts from Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Maha That were displayed in two small rooms each measuring 25m² until the museum began extensive refurbishment in 2017 to enhance its facilities and landscapes. After three long years of construction, the Ayutthaya Gold Treasure Exhibition Building was officially opened at the end of last year, and now features innovative lighting design, modern multimedia technology and revolutionary layouts that enable visitors to view an exhibition in 360 degrees.

Source: Treasures of the past