Burmese siege camps around Ayutthaya

Where: Hua Ro, on the Phaniat peninsula north of the city island, on Khlong Bang Khuat (the old Lopburi River), facing the line of Maha Chai Fortress

In the White Elephant War of 1563–64 the Pegu army crossed the Pho Sam Ton fields and stationed troops at this temple before attacking the capital. In the 1767 siege the chronicles list Wat Sam Wihan among the Burmese fighting camps: Ne Myo Thihapate's men built a stockade in front of the temple, raised bastions inside it and fired cannon into the city towards Maha Chai Fortress.

Today: An active temple with a boat-shaped vihara holding a large reclining Buddha, a big bell-shaped chedi visible across town, and an ordination hall with its full set of boundary stones.

Still debated: An early version of the ayutthaya-history.com research placed a Burmese bridge and tunnels in front of this temple; a later correction puts the tunnelling west of Wat Mae Nang Plum. The stockade in front of the temple itself is not in doubt.

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Where: Hua Ro, on the Phaniat peninsula north of the city island, on Khlong Hua Ro and Khlong Daeng

After the Burmese burned the royal pavilion at the elephant kraal, Ne Myo Thihapate had stockades built at Wat Chedi Daeng, Wat Sam Wihan and Wat Monthop, with bastions from which they bombarded the city until it fell. Around 1750 King Borommakot had stationed a Siamese army of 10,000 men at this same temple.

Today: An active temple where locals come to have their vehicles blessed. There is no red chedi despite the name, but a red bell tower stands by the canal and a Late Ayutthaya redented chedi rises behind the sermon hall.

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Where: Hua Ro, on Ko Loi on the east bank of the Front City Canal, opposite Hua Ro market and Chan Kasem Palace

The chronicles name this temple among Ne Myo Thihapate's stockades set up after the burning of the kraal pavilion. These camps bombarded the city while the main Burmese effort targeted the Hua Ro weir, where tunnels were dug and fired under the wall until it collapsed.

Today: A temple on a small island created by later canal digging, with an ordination hall, a vihara and a bell tower, a short walk from Hua Ro market and the long-tail boat landing.

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Where: Hua Ro, on the east bank of the Front City Canal opposite Ko Loi, at the mouth of Khlong Wat Pradu and Khlong Sai approximate

The chronicles list Wat Krajom (the 'Monastery of the Tent') among the temples where Ne Myo Thihapate's forces built stockades with bastions and placed large and small guns to fire into the capital before it fell in April 1767.

Today: Nothing of the temple or the camp is visible above ground; houses now cover the site. The map point marks the former temple.

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Where: Suan Phrik, on the Phaniat plain north of the city island; the map point is the elephant kraal approximate

Burmese armies camped on the Phaniat plain in 1563–64 and again in 1568–69. In 1767 Ne Myo Thihapate's men burned the royal pavilion at the elephant kraal, and the Burmese commander Letwe Nawrahta, who took part, records a camp built close to the kraal. After the city fell, Phraya Tak attacked the Pho Sam Ton camp from the east, fighting his way through Phaniat.

Today: The elephant kraal seen today was restored in the Rattanakosin period and can be visited from the Phu Khao Thong–Phaniat road.

Still debated: No source fixes where each army's camp stood on the plain, so the map uses the kraal as a reference point.

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Where: In front of Wat Mae Nang Plum, Hua Ro, on the south side of the road, near the Lopburi River and the Hua Ro weir

Late in the 1767 siege Ne Myo Thihapate's troops built an earth-and-timber stockade on the river bank in front of the temple, on both sides of the point where they planned a bridge towards Maha Chai Fortress, and used it to bombard the city. It was one of the camps closest to the wall at Hua Ro.

Today: Two earthen mounds survive on the south side of the road, known locally as Khok Phama (the Burmese mounds); Chinese residents later used them as a burial ground. The temple is still active.

Still debated: Identifying the surviving mounds as the stockade rests on the ayutthaya-history.com research and local tradition.

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Where: North-eastern corner of the city island at Hua Ro market, on U-Thong Road near Chan Kasem Palace approximate

In late March 1767 Ne Myo Thihapate built three stockades on the Hua Ro side, bridged the river opposite the Hua Ro weir and dug five tunnels under the foundations of the wall. A Siamese sortie against the camps cost about 800 men. A Burmese commander's account says dry grass and branches were packed into the tunnels, soaked with oil and fired until the wall collapsed; the Burmese stormed in and the city fell in April 1767.

Today: The Hua Ro market area, with a memorial wall on U-Thong Road.

Still debated: Sources differ by a few days on when the tunnels were fired; Thai sources date the fall to 7 April 1767.

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Where: The Phu Khao Thong fields, outside the city island to the north-west

In late January 1766, when the Burmese reached the outskirts, Phraya Phetchaburi and Phraya Tak fought them on the Phu Khao Thong fields and were driven back. According to work based on the Burmese chronicles, Maha Nawrahta moved his camp to the Phu Khao Thong area in September 1766 and placed his vanguard at Wat Tha Ka Rong. The Thai chronicles also count Wat Phu Khao Thong among the Burmese fighting camps. The Burmese chronicle says the camp on this side was walled around 'the relic chedi built by the White Elephant King of Pegu', which the historian Phiset Chiachanphong identifies as the Phu Khao Thong chedi Bayinnaung raised at the time of the first fall.

Today: The Golden Mount chedi still dominates the fields, close to the King Naresuan the Great monument on Thung Phu Khao Thong.

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Where: North of the city island, across the city canal from the Grand Palace

The Thai chronicles count Wat Na Phra Men among the Burmese fighting camps of 1767. Tradition holds that the Burmese used the temple grounds as a base to bombard the palace, which is why the temple was not burned. In 1760 King Alaungpaya's army had already mounted cannon here to fire at the palace.

Today: An Ayutthaya-period ordination hall that escaped the fire, with a large crowned Buddha image. The temple is active and open to visitors.

Still debated: That the Burmese spared the temple because they camped there is tradition; no Burmese source confirms it directly.

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Where: West bank of the Chao Phraya, opposite the north-western corner of the city island

According to work based on the Burmese chronicles, Maha Nawrahta placed his vanguard at Wat Tha Ka Rong, about 500 metres from the city wall. The Thai chronicles say the Burmese set up a camp with cannon here; a Siamese volunteer boat force attacked it without success.

Today: An active riverside temple with a weekend floating market.

Still debated: Some tourist material also places a Burmese camp here in the White Elephant War of 1563–64, but researchers checking the chronicles have found no text to support it.

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Where: Ban Pom, on the Prachet fields west of the city island, around Wat Kasattrathirat and Wat Worachet outside the island approximate

The chronicles name the Wat Worachet or Prachet fields as a camp of the Pegu army in 1563–64. In late 1766 Po Suphla (the Thai chronicles' name for Ne Myo Thihapate) sent troops to camp at Ban Pom and bombard the city; nearby Wat Kasattrathirat was badly damaged and abandoned after the fall.

Today: The Prachet fields are still open land, with the prang of Wat Kasattrathirat on the river and Wat Worachet in the middle of the fields. No trace of the camps remains.

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Where: Kamang, on the east bank of the Pa Sak River, on the island formed by Khlong Khao San and Khlong Khanom Tan, opposite the south-east corner of the city island approximate

In the siege of 1568–69 the Pegu army built three earthen causeways across the front moat. The southernmost started from the camp at Ko Kaeo. The Royal Autograph Chronicle calls this camp 'Wat Khao Din, opposite Ko Kaeo' and gives it to the Uparaja, the Pegu crown prince; ayutthaya-history.com, following the English translation of the chronicles, posts the King of Ava here. In the final assault the Uparaja and Maha Thammaracha crossed by this causeway with boats on both flanks and routed Phra Maha Thep's stockade, so the enemy entered the city at the Ko Kaeo corner. The Thai chronicles also list Wat Ko Kaeo among the Burmese fighting camps of 1767.

Today: Wat Ko Kaeo is an active temple with a Late Ayutthaya-style ordination hall facing the Pa Sak River and a shrine to King Taksin.

Still debated: The two versions of the chronicle disagree on who held this camp (the Uparaja or the King of Ava). The source's coordinates contain an invalid seconds value, so the map point uses Wat Ko Kaeo's position on OpenStreetMap.

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Where: Pho Sam Ton, Bang Pahan district, on the old Lopburi River at the mouth of the Pho Sam Ton channel, across from Wat Woranayok Rangsan (Wat Khao Din)

The Burmese chronicle says that early in 1766 Ne Myo Thihapate defeated the Ayutthaya land and river forces sent north against him, reached Pak Nam Prasop north-east of the city and built nine large stockades on both banks of the Lopburi River. The Thai chronicles call the site 'Wat Pa Fai, Pak Nam Prasop'. Ayutthaya attacked twice and was driven back both times; on the second occasion townspeople who had followed the army to watch were cut down in large numbers. Before the floods Ne Myo Thihapate split his force and moved one army south to a new main camp at Pho Sam Ton.

Today: Wat Pa Fai is an abandoned temple on private land, with a pavilion sheltering Buddha images and fragments of Early Ayutthaya sandstone Buddhas; ask the owners before visiting. Only a short ditch remains of the mouth of the Pho Sam Ton channel near the bridge.

Still debated: Wat Pa Fai was once thought to have been absorbed into Wat Khao Din; later fieldwork found its ruins on the opposite bank. The Burmese camp covered a much wider area, including Wat Khao Din, Wat Krang and Wat Sop Sawan.

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Where: Pho Sam Ton, Bang Pahan district, north of the city island, on both banks of the old Lopburi River above Wat Pho Sam Ton approximate

According to work based on the Burmese chronicles, Ne Myo Thihapate moved his main camp south to Pho Sam Ton in September 1766, walling it with bricks taken from nearby temples. After the city fell the camp held prisoners and members of the royal family who could not travel to Burma; King Ekathat died here. Suki, the Mon commander, later held the camp until Phraya Tak came up by river, attacked from the east and took it in November 1767.

Today: The camp area was dug up for bricks around the 1950s and is now a large pond with brick fragments in the soil and a shrine to King Taksin.

Still debated: Converting the dates of the fighting at Pho Sam Ton to the modern calendar gives different results, and Suki's identity is still debated.

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Where: Wat Si Kuk, Bang Ban district, in the horseshoe bend where Khlong Bang Ban meets the Noi River, west of the city island

The Burmese chronicle says that after Maha Nawrahta took Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya sent Phraya Pala with some 60,000 men to hold Si Kuk. The Siamese army formed up outside the stockade and broke; the Burmese scaled the walls on all four sides and took the camp. Maha Nawrahta later kept his elephants and horses at Si Kuk through the flood season. This battle does not appear in Thai sources. Maha Nawrahta's river fleet, which had fought its way up the Chao Phraya, also camped at Bang Sai and Si Kuk as part of the siege.

Today: Wat Si Kuk has the ruin of a redented chedi and a shrine to Maha Nawrahta. A 1966 survey by N. Na Paknam described a brick wall the Burmese built across the neck of the bend, enclosing several dozen rai.

Still debated: Thai sources usually call Si Kuk Maha Nawrahta's main camp; Achirawit Anthaphan argues from the Burmese chronicle that his main camp lay elsewhere (Silpa Wattanatham, February 2021).

Google Maps ↗12.1 km from Ancient Royal Palace (straight line)

Where: East of the city island, on the far side of the Pa Sak River, in the Hantra fields

In the war of 1568–69 that ended with the first fall of Ayutthaya, the chronicles place Bayinnaung's royal army at Wat Maheyong, east of the city, on the same side as the front moat, which he judged the easiest place to attack. When the city fell in August 1569, King Mahin was brought before the King of Pegu at the pavilion in this temple. Earlier, in the White Elephant War, a Siamese force camped on the Hantra fields broke and fled across the canal towards this temple.

Today: The ruins of Wat Maheyong with its elephant-supported chedi, next to a meditation centre.

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Where: Lumphli subdistrict, the plain north-west of the city island, west of Wat Phu Khao Thong approximate

The chronicles say that when the Pegu army reached Ayutthaya late in 1568, Bayinnaung first camped at Lumphli. According to the Royal Autograph Chronicle, Phraya Ram had the great gun Narai Sanghan hauled to the corner at Wat Sop Sawan and fired into the army; a ball landed near the royal pavilion and Bayinnaung pulled back towards Maha Phram. He then ringed the city on every side and placed the royal army in the east, at Wat Maheyong.

Today: The Lumphli plain is farmland and villages today, with no trace of the camp. Wat Phu Khao Thong and the King Naresuan the Great monument are close by.

Still debated: The chronicles name only the area, not the spot, so the map point is placed in the middle of Lumphli subdistrict.

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Where: Hua Ro, on Ko Loi, on the east bank of the Front City Canal opposite Wat Khwang Fortress on the city island

Late in the 1568–69 siege Bayinnaung ordered three earthen causeways built across the front moat. The Royal Autograph Chronicle gives the northern one to the King of Ava, camped at Wat Saphan Kluea (the 'Salt Bridge Monastery'), and aimed at the city bank near Wat Khwang, called Wat Fang in old documents. The labourers worked behind shields of palm logs under fire from the Siamese stockades. The chronicle says it took about three months to reach the far bank, that many men were shot down, and that the dead were thrown into the fill.

Today: An abandoned temple site on Ko Loi with a bell tower and brick remains among houses; a footbridge links Ko Loi with the city island.

Still debated: An older version of the chronicle gives this causeway and the Bang Ian one to the Uparaja's division and puts the King of Ava's causeway at the Ko Kaeo corner.

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Where: Kamang, on the east bank of the Pa Sak River between Wat Yom Thai and Wat Phichai Songkhram, near the ferry in front of Ayutthaya railway station approximate

The middle causeway belonged to the King of Prome. The Royal Autograph Chronicle says he camped at 'Wat Chan, opposite Bang Ian' and built his causeway across the front moat from there. Earlier he had taken a fleet round by Bang Sai to close the river south of the city. On the day of the final assault his men crossed here at the same time as the other two columns.

Today: The Wat Chan on this bank is a vanished temple with no buildings left; a large bodhi tree stands by the river near the ferry to the city island, in the neighbourhood in front of the railway station.

Still debated: The chronicle does not say where Wat Chan stood. We place the pin at the vanished Wat Chan on the east bank because it lies in line with Khlong Bang Ian inside the city island; this is our conjecture, not a settled identification. The older version of the chronicle gives the Bang Ian causeway to the Uparaja's division.

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