Treasures of the past

While standing inside the recently opened Ayutthaya Gold Treasure Exhibition Building at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum, visitors may picture a gloomy night in September 1957 when robbers robbed the vault that was hidden beneath Wat Ratchaburana's main Phra Prang. When digging further, they discovered a glowing three-floor gold treasure and relocated some priceless items to a house opposite the temple.

Their scheme would have been flawless if they had not gotten into a quarrel over their greed, and accidentally burned down a house. When the police arrived, they found just an antique sword and a few costly objects on the floor. They were apprehended afterwards, but we still don't know what happened to the gold artefacts.

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, Buddha statues 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.

Phra Sang Khan Chai Sri (the Sword of Victory) was made of steel and gold, adorned with quartz and coloured glass.

"With space constraints, around 1,000 gold relics from two temples were displayed in small rooms for several decades. In 2014, the Fine Arts Department decided to remodel the display and do further research in order to provide visitors with more thorough information about the gold crypts at Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Maha That," said Somphot Sukaboon, a director of Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.

"To illustrate the notion of storing precious things in a crypt as an homage to the Buddha's relics, the collection increased from 1,000 to 2,200 gold pieces, gathered from various places like the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum, the National Museum Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We used smart touchscreen multimedia systems to demonstrate how to make traditional gold ornaments in the Ayutthaya style.

"When the gold treasure building opened, the museum welcomed 20,000 visitors in a single month. The first building has been undergoing restoration and is slated to be complete in 2025 and the exhibition will be redesigned to highlight the significance and beauty of early Ayutthaya-style art. The booming trade and civilisation of the Ayutthaya kingdom are reflected in the artefacts."

The exhibition spans 3,275m² on the 2nd floor and can be divided into eight zones. The journey begins at the zone of the Golden Treasure from the Crypt of Wat Ratchaburana, where Phra Sang Khan Chai Sri (the Sword of Victory) serves as a prelude to the belief of the divine king, which was influenced by the Deva Raja Mythology of the Khmer Empire.

A royal elephant gold figure with a detachable head sits on a rectangular base decorated with coloured glass.

One of the five royal regalia used during the coronation ceremony, it was made in the 15th century from a mix of steel and gold and embellished with quartz and gemstone-like coloured glass that signify the might of the monarch.

Visitors can closely observe a collection of attire and accessories used in royal ceremonies, including Chula Mongkut (a coronet made of four strips of gold, decorated with coloured glass and the traditional Thai pra jam yam pattern), Phra Suwan Mala (a headdress made with gold threads and decorated with floral designs in diamond-shaped frames), a crossbody gold chain embellished with gemstones, and a gold bracelet with a cowry shell-shaped pendant.

Also on display are Tharn Korn (the royal staff), Patchani Fak Makham (the gold tamarind pot patterned fan), gold whisks made from yak's hair, gold slippers, Phra Suwan Pingkarn (the gourd-shaped water bottle), and a round gold disc with a ridged rim in floral patterns, which is part of the gold umbrella.

"We worked with the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology to analyse the components of gold ornaments using X-ray fluorescence technology. The findings show that they include 80%-85% of gold and a little amount of silver, while the artisans were proficient at creating coloured glass to resemble gemstones. The majority of gold ornaments feature floral and plant motifs taken from their environment," curator Sasithon Towinus said.

Phra Suwan Mala is a headdress made with gold threads and decorated with floral designs in diamond-shaped frames.

Browsing around, visitors will find a royal elephant figure with a detachable head, which is crafted of gold and rests on a rectangular base covered in lotus petal designs. Based on Buddhist beliefs, an elephant represents nobility, power, sacrifice, gratitude and intelligence. A swan-shaped embossed container with a detachable head that is adorned with fish-egg beads, lotus petals and vine is seated next to it. It is believed to have been used to store liquid like water or perfume.

"We discovered more than 600 embossed and jewel-encrusted gold rings in Wat Ratchaburana's crypt. The motifs of lions, crabs, cows feeding their calves and kinnaree symbolise abundance. However, there's no evidence of gold mining in the early Ayutthaya period, therefore it's possible that all of the gold and precious gems might have been tributes from the North or from somewhere else further afield," she added.

The Wat Ratchaburana model stands at the heart of the Gallery Walkway and takes visitors to an imitation three-storey crypt inside the main pagoda, which was erected to house Buddha relics during the reign of King Borom Rachathiraj II, also known as Chao Sam Phraya. Gold treasure and an assortment of the finest Buddhist offerings were placed into the crypt to pay homage to Buddhism and serve as a representation of the king.

A swan-shaped embossed container with a detachable head is adorned with fish-egg beads, lotus petals and vine.

The 1st floor is dedicated to Buddha statues and votive tablets in various designs, while a mountain of sparkling royal utensils, regalia, jewellery, decorative accessories and gold pagodas can be found on the 2nd floor. With stars scattered over the ceiling, its walls sport stunning red-tone murals of the Buddha, angel gatherings and a parade of Chinese aristocrats, which illustrates an influence of Chinese-style art that spread to the Ayutthaya kingdom. The lowest floor is home to the Buddha's relics with a four-layered bronze cover as well as silver and gold votive tablets and glazed ceramic utensils.

"The Fine Arts Department employed photogram techniques to recreate the fading paintings, which were located on the 2nd floor of the crypt. We worked with a ceramic company in Shiga, Japan, to replicate those murals using cutting-edge ceramic tile printing technology so that visitors can visualise the ambience within the crypt. After the Covid-19 pandemic, we discovered humidity in the crypt and all of the murals have faded. For reasons of safety, visitors may not be allowed to visit there in the future," she added.

Wat Maha That's Buddha relic is housed in the sixth-layer stupa, which is embellished with red spinel, chrysoberyl, moonstone, corundum and garnet.

Departing Wat Ratchaburana, a 1:20 scale 3D model of the historical Piprahwa Stupa illustrates how Siam inherited the concept of building a pagoda to enshrine Buddha's relics from India. Visitors can take this opportunity to worship Buddha relics, which were found in Wat Maha That, Wat Phra Ram, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Chedi Si Suriyothai.

"At Wat Maha That, the Buddha's relic is housed in a seven-layered stupa-shaped cover made from different materials including bronze, silver, gold, ivory and wood. The sixth-layer cover is designed to resemble a small gold casket and is embellished with various gems including red spinel, chrysoberyl, moonstone, corundum and garnet. Its lid is graced with a trigon diamond," she pointed out.

The Wat Maha That collection also features a fish-shaped geode vessel, which was painted gold, a gold lion-shaped box with ruby eyes in the Chinese style, and a silver manuscript that describes how Khun Sri Rattanakorn and his family created a collection of votive tablets to dedicate to King Ramathibodi I, also known as Phra Chao U-Thong.

Chao Sam Phraya National Museum is in Ayutthaya province. It's open daily from 9am to 4pm (except Monday). Admission is 30 baht for Thais and 150 baht for foreigners. Visit facebook.com/chaosamphraya for further details.