Ruins of a royal temple Apr 13, 2021

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
Apr 13, 2026International Dark Sky Week

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 30, 2024Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Jan 19, 2026Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Sep 24, 2019With leaves this tasty, who cares about a view?
Apr 11, 2019Spring blooms in the Netherlands
Oct 13, 2021Celebrating a young girl s age-old discovery
Jun 6, 2024The 80th anniversary of D-Day
Feb 22, 2026Mam Tor, Derbyshire, England
May 18, 2020Desert rose of Qatar
Sep 21, 2022International Day of Peace
Jul 25, 2018Splashes of color for Watercolor Month
Mar 4, 2021The most wonderful day of the year. Period.
Jun 19, 2021Surf s up—Down Under
Jun 18, 2025Pollinator Week
Dec 7, 2021Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Apr 13, 2018Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
Feb 14, 2026Happy Valentines Day!
Sep 30, 2019Wheels up in Beijing
Jul 13, 2025Iceland for International Rock Day
Dec 10, 2023Sand dunes in the Sahara, Algeria
May 16, 2018National Love a Tree Day
Nov 30, 2019A big place to shop small
Aug 20, 2021Signs of life in the Empty Quarter
Mar 31, 2023Steyr River, Austria
Oct 11, 2019Art in the high desert
Jun 23, 2022Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Aug 19, 2019On the wings of the Wright brothers
Mar 13, 2019A look at Uranus, seventh planet from the sun
Apr 21, 2021Exploring the Pearl of the Atlantic
Oct 18, 2022The Guggenheim Bilbao turns 25
May 19, 2020Loud waters