The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Mon and later Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. European travellers in the early 16th century called Ayutthaya one of the three great powers of Asia. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is considered to be the precursor of modern Thailand, and its developments are an important part of the history of Thailand.
Three pagodas of Wat Phra Si Sanphet which house the remains of King Borommatrailokkanat, Borommarachathirat III, and Ramathibodi II
Wat Phra Phutthabat, Saraburi, constructed by King Songtham as a royal pilgrimage site
Wat Chaiwatthanaram, constructed by King Prasat Thong during the Age of Peace and Commerce (1600–1688)
Painting by Johannes Vingboons of Ayutthaya, c. 1665.
The Mon are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar's Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and several areas in Thailand. The native language is Mon, which belongs to the Monic branch of the Austroasiatic language family and shares a common origin with the Nyah Kur language, which is spoken by the people of the same name that live in Northeastern Thailand. A number of languages in Mainland Southeast Asia are influenced by the Mon language, which is also in turn influenced by those languages.
Mon girls wearing traditional dress in Mawlamyine
The Ban Tha Lat Mon inscription, dated 9th century CE, was discovered in 1968 in an area where other archaeological evidence confirmed the presence of the ancient Mon people. It is now located at the Ho Phra Kaeo Museum in Vientiane, Laos
Queen regnant Camadevi Monument in Lamphun, Thailand
Myazedi Inscription (AD 1113) in Mon language in Bagan. One of the oldest surviving stone inscriptions in Myanmar.
