When you are travelling in northern Thailand you have to visit Sukhothai Historical Park. The park is located 50km west of Phitsanulok. The actual city of Sukhothai is situated on the east bank of the Yom river and the capital of Sukhothai Province. Sukhothai Historical Park is 12km west of the city. The ruins and temples in the park are from the old capital city of the Sukhothai Kingdom dating back to the 13^th and 14^th centuries. The old city is the cradle of the Thai civilization. From 1238 until 1350 Sukhothai was the first capital city of Thailand. Sukhothai means Dawn of Happiness. The old city is enclosed by a rectangular wall of about 2km by 1.8km. There are 4 gates each at the centre of the wall. Inside are the ruins of the royal palace and 26 temples.

In 1365 Sukhothai becamea satellite state of Ayutthaya and was completely annexed in 1438. The city fell into disrepair and the ruins were discovered in the 19^th century. The ruins were restored between 1977 and 1988 by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand. There are almost 200 ruins scattered around at 70km² of land. Since 1991 the park is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wat Mahathat

Wat Mahathat is the most impressive temple in Sukhothai. Translation of the name is temple of the great relic. Wat Mahathat used to be the main temple of the city and also of Sukhothai Kingdom. The temple is commissioned by Sri Indraditya and built around 1300. The layout is based on a mandala, a geometric configuration of symbols. The main stupa is surrounded by smaller stupas in eight directions. The main stupa is shaped as a lotus bud, a characteristic of the Sukhothai architectural arts. At two sides of the main stupa are two huge Buddha sculptures both 9 metres tall.

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Wat Si Sawai

Wat is temple in Thai. The Si Sawai Temple is one of the oldest temples in Sukhothai. The temple is built around 1300 as a Hindu shrine for Vishnu. The three laterite prangs present the Hindu trinity. In the 14^th century the temple was dedicated to Buddha. In the area they found several Chinese porcelains and Hindu God statues. Vaijravudh (King Rama VI)  discovered a statue of Shiva in 1907.

Wat Phra Phai Luang

This huge temple was the ritual center of Sukhoithai. The temple is constructed in the late 12^th century. At that time the city was under control of Khmer-Lavo. After the liberation Wat Mahathat was built and Wat Phra Phai Luang lost it’s ceremonial role. The temple became a Theravada Buddhist temple. Like Wat Si Sawai, this temple used to have three laterite prangs. Only one is in good condition. The three prangs had openings to the east. Above the doors there used to be richly decorated tympana with scenes of Buddha’s life. Tympana are semi-circular or triangular decorate surfaces above an entrance. A tympana is an architectural element with sculptures and ornaments. They were also used in Ancient Greece and gothic architecture.

Wat Sa Si

Wat Sa Si is located close to the Ramkhamhaeng Monument. It’s a small temple in the middle of Traphang Trakuan lake. Because of the scenic lake view it’s a beautiful spot in Sukhothai Historical Park. The temple has a stupa with a Sri Lanka style architecture.

Noen Prasat

Noen Prasat is Thai for Palace Hill. These are the remains of the royal palace of the kingdom of Sukhothai. The ruins were discovered by Mongkut in 1833. As a monk he went on a pilgrimage to the north of Siam. The square base of the palace was 200 by 200 meters. In nearby ponds archaeologists found terracotta pipes for water supply. They found ashes and bones inside pieces of brick assuming it came from the royal cremation place.

Ramkhamhaeng National Museum

The museum is a part of the National Museum of Thailand. The museum opened in 1964 by the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej. The collection of the museum starts with sculptures from before the Sukhothai period. They showcase Buddha images and Hindu god sculptures from Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Phai Luang, artifacts from Sukhothai from the 14^th and 15^th century, porcelain from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties that were found during the excavations.

Wat Traphang Ngoen

The temple is built in the 14^th century and means silver lake monastery. The orientation of the temple is perfect. It’s illuminated when the sun is rising and at sunset. There is a central stupa built in a typical Sukhothai style in the form of closed lotus flowers. There are ruins of a large Buddha sculpture facing west. On the island is an ordination hall. The hall is separated by the artificial lake to symbolize it’s purity. Only bricks of the foundation and fragments of columns are left over.

How to get there?

You can take a bus from Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet and Tak. From the city you can take a taxi or rickshaw to the Sukhothai historical park. At the entrance of the park you can hire a scooter or bicycle to go around. If you decide to walk it’s going to take you two days to see everything. The flat landscape is ideal to go cycling.

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