Ayutthaya Elephant kraal

The elephant kraal of Ayutthaya is the only one left in Thailand. The main outlook is the Khocha Prawet Maha Prasat pavilion, which is where the kings watched the elephant being trapped. The kraal itself is a big cage surrounded with logs that spread out on both sides into the former jungle area. King Maha Thammaracha (reign 1569-1590) moved the old elephant kraal to its present site after Ayutthaya’s first fall to the Burmese in 1569. A restoration of Ayutthaya's ancient kraal was finalised in 2007 (16 million Baht) and a new restoration was initiated in 2018 (30 million Baht).

(The Khocha Prawet Maha Prasat, the Elephant Kraal (inner stockade) and its V-shapped trapping (outer stockade) resort under the responsibility of the Fine Arts Department - Region 3 and the total is a tourist attraction promoted by the Tourism Authorithy of Thailand (TAT). The private Royal Elephant Kraal Village, operating adjacent the Elephant Kraal area, keeps sometimes elephants in the triangular elephant trapping (crow's wings). Do not approach these elephants for your own safety. These animals stay often in the hot sun for the whole day without protection/water and some might get irritated. People have been killed or wounded while trying to feed the large mammals.)

(Cyclists may want to also take a brief detour from this site to see the elephants north of the kraal belonging to the Royal Elephant Kraal Village. To do this, simply take the first right and head 400 meters. The elephants are on the right hand side of the road. However, for this bike route, we will continue on the same road as before, heading north.)

Ayutthaya Historical Research