Sukhothai Historic Park

Location: 13 km (8 mi) West of New Sukhothai, Sukhothai Province
Open: 6am- 9pm daily
Info: TAT, Phitsanulok
Tel. 0-5525-2743
Area: 213.2 km²
Ramkamhaeng National Museum
Open: 8:30am- 4:30 pm Wed- Sun

 

Sukhothai Historical Park (Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัย) includes the ruins of Sukhothai, the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries , now in Northern Thailand. This park is located near Sukhohthai city, the capital of Sukhothai province. The citadel has a rectangular shape with an East-West length of 2 km and a North-South length of 1.6 km. Each side of the wall has a gate. Inside the citadel are the remains of the royal palace and 26 temples, the largest of which is Wat Mahathat. The park is maintained by the Department of Fine Arts of Thailand with the help of UNESCO, and is a world heritage site recognized by UNESCO on December 12, 1991 along with the historical parks: in Kamphaengphet and Si Satchanalai .

 

History of Sukhothai Historic Park

The old city, also called Mueang Kao (Thai เมืองเก่า 'Old City') by the locals, was surrounded by earthen walls and moats measuring approximately 2 km × 1.6 km. A total of four entrance gates led into the city through the fortifications. Within these walls can be seen the remains of the royal palace and more than 20 temples, the largest of which is Wat Mahathat. The historical park also includes areas north, east, south and west outside the walls in which there are further ruined temples.

As early as 1942 there were plans to restore it as a historical park. However, the first inventory work only began at the beginning of the 1950s. On August 2, 1961, it was announced in the Royal Gazette (Volume 92, Part 112) that the area had been placed under the protection of the Fine Arts Department. On January 25, 1964, the Ramkhamhaeng Museum was opened by King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Important finds could be exhibited here. In 1976, the Thai government decided that the ruin fields should be developed into a historical park. The final restoration was completed in 1988 and the Sukhothai Historical Park was inaugurated by the king. On December 12, 1991, the historical park was declared part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site along with neighboring parks in Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet that belong to the same cultural context.

Today, almost 200 temple ruins can be seen inside and outside the old city walls, the oldest dating back to the 13th century. The restored Wat Mahathat hosts a spectacular Loi Krathong celebration every year on the full moon in November.

 

Sukhothai Archaeological Site

The city fortifications of Sukhothai, consisting of a triple wall and ditch system, with its four city gates.

 

Within the walls

Monument to King Ramkhamhaeng – right in the center of the park, north of the palace
The royal palace and Wat Mahāthāt (“Temple of the Great Relic”), the actual center of the complex
King Ramkhamhaeng is said to have held court on Noen Prasat (Palace Hill), a large terrace east of Wat Mahāthāt.
The Ramkhamhaeng National Museum is directly east of the palace ruins. It displays numerous art objects donated by citizens of Sukhothai or secured by the Fine Arts Department here. Allegedly there are more than 2,000 finds on display here, including: the bell at King Ramkhamhaeng's palace, which everyone was allowed to ring to present their problems to the king.
Wat Traphang Ngoen (Silver Lake Monastery) – small temple on the island in an artificial lake west of Wat Mahāthāt
Wat Si Sawai (also “Wat Sri Svāya”) – probably founded by the Khmer as a Shiva temple in the 12th century. Today there are the remains of a Wihan in front of the three striking prangs, and a wall encloses the entire complex. A well-preserved lintel showing a sleeping Vishnu is now in the museum.
Wat Traphang Thong (Gold Lake Monastery) – in a large lake there is an ancient Wihan and a Mondop with a footprint of Buddha from the Sukhothai period
Wat Sa Si (also “Wat Sra Sri”), Wat Chana Songkhram and Wat Tra Kuan are close to each other north of Wat Mahāthāt. They were probably all founded at the same time and today show restored Sinhalese chedis and ruins of bots in the middle of small ponds. Numerous foundations of smaller chedis are scattered across the temple premises.
San Ta Pha Daeng – Hindu shrine (Prang) north of Wat Mahāthāt.
Northeast of San Ta Pha Daeng is Wat Sorasak, with a restored chedi “surrounded by elephants.”

 

Outside the Walls: North

Wat Phra Phai Luang – about 1 km north of the city walls, this temple is surrounded by a square moat. It was also probably founded in the 12th century, when Sukhothai was still part of the Angkor Empire. Of the original three prangs standing next to each other, only one remains today. It is elaborately decorated with stucco reliefs. Since many Buddha statues were stolen here in the 1950s, the remaining pieces, some of which were badly damaged, were housed in the Ramkhamhaeng Museum.
Turiang Kilns (“Turiang Kilns”) – north of the moat there are some historic kilns
Wat Sangkhawat (also “Wat Sanghāvāsa”) – small temple with wihan and bot remains, also surrounded by a small moat.
Wat Si Chum is the most important monument northwest of the city. The large Mondop is said to have been built by King Maha Thammararaja II at the end of the 14th century. The square building has a side length of 32 meters. In the thick walls there is a narrow corridor with a staircase to the roof. More than 50 engraved plates depicting scenes from the Jataka were found on the walls of the corridor. They are the oldest surviving examples of Thai drawing art. The Mondop contains the massive statue of Phra Achana, already mentioned in the inscriptions of King Ramkhamhaeng.

 

Outside the Walls: East

Wat Chang Lom – similar to a temple of the same name in the Si Satchanalai Historical Park, the large Chedi is supported by 36 elephants
Wat Thraphang Thong Lang (Coral Tree Lake Monastery) – Ruins of a large brick monop and several small chedi
Wat Chedi Sung (High Chedi Monastery) – with a uniquely designed chedi

 

Outside the Walls: South

Wat Kon Laeng - today mainly an approximately 8 meter high step pyramid made of large laterite blocks, which probably had the same function when the city was founded as the Lak Müang (“City Pillar”) does today, namely the protective spirit of the city, the Phi Mueang sacrifice.
Wat Ton Chan (Monastery at the Sandalwood Tree) – partially collapsed Sinhalese Chedi. Numerous highly sought-after terracotta amulets were found here.
Wat Chetuphon - surrounded by a brick wall, there is a mondop in the middle with stucco figures of the Buddha in various postures on the four side walls. Remains of a moat can be seen.
Wat Chedi Si Hong (4-room Chedi Monastery) – Remains of remarkable stucco decorations in the Wihan
Wat Si Phichit Kirati Kanlayaram (also “Sri Bicitrakirtikanlyārāma”) – Chedi in Sinhalese style with a stucco-decorated foundation
Wat Wihan Thong, Wat Asokaram and Wat Mum Langka are three smaller temples, each consisting of a chedi and a wihan.

 

Outside the Walls: West

Wat Pa Mamuang (Mango Grove Monastery) – this important temple surrounded by a narrow moat is located just a few hundred meters west of the city walls. He was mentioned, among other things, in King Lü Thai's Inscription VII. The king had the temple renovated and enlarged for the famous monk Mahāsāmī Sangharāja, who had acquired his deep knowledge of the Tipitaka during long studies in Ceylon.
Wat Aranyik (also “Wat Araññika”) – not far from Wat Saphan Hin is this forest temple in which the foundations of numerous kuti are scattered throughout the forest. The foundations of a small Wihan can be seen here.
Wat Saphan Hin – in the wooded hills west of the city lies the “Stone Bridge Monastery”. A large Buddha statue of a “Phra Attharot” (Attharasa: Pali for eighteen; the statue is eighteen cubits tall, which corresponds to 8.3 meters) looks over the historical park. In the Inscription I of King Ramkhamhaeng it is mentioned that the king came here riding on elephants to “acquire merits” (Thai ทำบุญ, Tam bun).
Wat Chang Rop (Monastery Surrounded by Elephants) – small temple on a hill. The name probably refers to the Chedi, from whose foundation the remains of 24 elephant heads protrude.
Wat Chedi Ngam – The “Beautiful Chedi”, as it is called, is a large Sinhalese-style chedi that can be seen from afar.
Wat Tham Hip – even further south in the hills is this small temple that was badly destroyed by treasure robbers. It has not yet been restored.
Wat Mangkon (Makara Monastery) – this small temple is located at the foot of the hill range. Local residents report that a long makara made of glazed tiles once adorned the foundation of the Wihan. During excavations, in addition to the tiles, a clay figure of a Garuda was discovered. The figure and tiles are now in the Ramkhamhaeng Museum.
Wat Phra Yuen (Monastery of the Standing Buddha) – small temple with a standing stucco Buddha figure, which has, however, fallen into disrepair.
Wat Tuek - here, in a small mondop, there is a seated Buddha figure made of bricks, the former stucco cladding of which has only been preserved in sparse fragments. The Mondop itself was originally completely covered with stucco, of which some larger pieces still exist. In front of the Mondop there are the remains of a Wihan, whose laterite columns have stumps of different heights and which contains a second seated Buddha figure, also made of laterite.
Saritphong Dam – 14th century dam to supply water to ancient Sukhothai