Since the first century A.D. several people settled in the area of modern Thailand. In the 6th century the Mon from Birma established a monarchy called Dvarati consisting of various cities and the capital Nakhon Pathom. Between the 9th and 13th century the Khmer from Cambodia conquered large parts of modern Thailand including the Dvarati kingdom. Since the 13th century the Thai migrated in large numbers from China to the south where they established small monarchies and intermingled with the Khmer. They took over the royal deification from the Khmer. One of the first Thai monarchies originated around the capital Sukhothai. The most important king of Sukhothai was Ramkhamhaeng who introduced the Thai alphabet which is still in use. In the 14th century Rama Thibodi founded a new royal dynasty and moved the capital to Ayutthaya. In the same period another Thai king, Mengrai, established his own kingdom in the north around the capital Chiang Mai. The kingdom of Ayutthaya lasted for many centuries up until the 18th century and prospered because of trade relations with European visitors. During the reign of king-poet Narai the capital was transformed into a metropole with city walls and canals. In the 18th century however the Birmese invaded the Thai kingdom. The Thai refugees moved their capital to Bangkok where general Chakri rose to the throne and called himself king Rama I. He is the founder of the present Chakri dynasty who gave the name Rama to all its monarchs.
Buddhist monasteries and temples are all over the country. The temples are situated in a complex surrounded by a wall. Often the complex is guarded by mythological dragons (nagas) or little green devils near the gate. The bot, the most important and sacred building of the wat, is in the centre of the complex. It is the main temple where the monks gather and where the faithful pray and bring sacrifices. It is also the place where the monks are inaugurated and religious ceremonies take place. The bot has a small wall with eight pavilions enshrining markerstones shaped like a standing leaf. Another building in the temple complex, the viharn, is the prayer and meditation place for the monks. Sacred objects are kept in here. Two other conspicuous buildings in the temple complex are the chedi and the prang. The chedi or stupa is a circular tower with a giant peak , enshrining a relic like a bone or some hair of Buddha. The prang is massive and looks like a maize cob: it has a round top in stead of a pointed top. On the temple complex there are many other decorative religious elements like the mondop, a square pavilion with a pyramidal roof, enshrining the Buddha statues and other sacred objects. The elephant Erawan is depicted in many reliefs and statues. Another statue represents the kinnora, a mythological figure being half woman and half bird. The walls are painted with scenes from the classic Ramayana tale. Tewada are angel figuresdepicted on the inner walls of the bot. Another symbol is the garuda, an eagle with a human face. The bodhi tree - the tree where Buddha held his first sermon - is also present in many temple complexes.