Ruins of a royal temple Apr 13, 2021

Ruins of a royal temple

In present-day Thailand sit the ruins of the ancient kingdom that preceded it, Ayutthaya. Wat Phra Si Sanphet, shown here, was the holiest shrine in the capital of that kingdom, a royal temple containing a 52-foot-tall golden statue of the Buddha, among other treasures. The first king of Ayutthaya, Ramathibodi I, ordered construction of a royal palace here in 1350. Nearly a century later, the palace was moved to a different location in the city and the former palace grounds were converted to a holy site.

© travelstock44/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Apr 13, 2018Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
Apr 13, 2019Feelin groovy on Record Store Day
Apr 13, 2020Floating temples in the Land of Smiles
Apr 13, 2022Mitsumata blossoms
Apr 13, 2023Hitsujiyama Park, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Apr 13, 2024Apple trees in spring, Germany
Apr 13, 2025Songkran—Thai New Year

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 12, 2025Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Center-Val de Loire, France
Mar 18, 2020A stroll above the stratosphere
Jul 30, 2023Palouse farmland, Washington state
Sep 4, 2025Grizzly bears in Alaska for National Wildlife Day
Oct 3, 2025Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Oct 8, 2023World Octopus Day
May 5, 2023Cinco de Mayo
Feb 28, 2026Oloupena Falls, island of Molokai, Hawaii
Dec 7, 2025Pearl Harbor Day
Apr 18, 2025International Day for Monuments and Sites
Oct 22, 2021Jasper Dark Sky Festival
Dec 25, 2018Happy holidays!
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Nov 3, 2025World Jellyfish Day
Jan 7, 2021Of balloons and lost pantaloons
Jul 28, 2020Over the boardwalk
Jul 1, 2023The Tour de France begins
Sep 2, 2021A cliffside harbor in Sardinia
Nov 1, 2018Celebrating the Day of the Dead
Oct 3, 2022World Architecture Day
Jan 24, 2020Sunlight sets Iceland s Eyjafjallajökull aglow
Mar 12, 2024Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Jun 28, 2024Pride 2024
Mar 24, 2026Cherry blossoms at East Lake Cherry Blossom Park, Wuhan, China
Aug 12, 2021Haven t you herd? It s World Elephant Day!
Sep 5, 2023Mount Segla, Senja Island, Norway
Jul 12, 2018Provence blooms with lavender at Sénanque Abbey
Apr 13, 2022Mitsumata blossoms
May 27, 2023Quiver trees in Namibia
Nov 29, 2020New Zealand s loneliest mountain