Sukhothai Historical Park

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To celebrate the King’s birthday and the long weekend I took a bus early Friday morning and went to New Sukhothai. I stayed at a very pleasant guesthouse, named No.4 and was greeted by a hospitable and friendly host, Nung. It was like a home away from home, set in a very peaceful environment away from the main modern centre of New Sukhothai. The next day Anne and I (a lovely German tourist I met that morning who was on holiday visiting her boyfriend) toured Sukhothai Historical Park on a bicycle for the day. Set in a very tranquil and picturesque environment, the Park is surrounded by many ponds and interesting historical architecture of Thailand. For those who are interested, I have included information about Sukhothai and the Park below.

Sukhothai meaning “Dawn of Happiness,” was founded in 1238 and was the capital of the Thai Empire for approximately 140 years, during the 13th and 14th centuries. Located 12km from the city of New Sukhothai (where most of the hotels and guesthouses are located), 427km north of Bangkok and a 3 hour bus ride from Mae Sot it is a quaint historical town, famous for its Historical Park. Sukhothai Historical Park consists of 193 ruins of Sukhothai kingdom on 70sqkm. A characteristic feature of Sukhothai temple architecture is the lotus-bud chedi. There is a gate in the centre of each four wall entrance and inside are the remains of the royal palace and 26 temples, the most famous being Wat Mahathat. In 1991 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site. Monuments and prominent structures of the park include:

•Ramakhamhaeng National Museum - has a detailed model of the area and a display of Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai archaeological finds
•Wat Phra Mahathat - this temple is about 200sq meters in size, has a 14th-century lotus bud tower and is encircled by a moat. Surrounding its Sukhothai-style chedi are several smaller towers of Sri Lankan and Khmer influence. Many original Buddha images are still present among the ruins. The compound contains no less than 198 chedis.
•Wat Si Sawai - the architecture is distinctly Khmer. It was initially a Hindu sanctuary but later transformed to a Buddhist temple.
•Wat Traphang Thong - set on its own pond, with a great vista of the surrounding monuments
•Wat Si Chum - a beautiful monument with a seated Buddha 15m tall in the Subduing Evil pose
•Wat Sa Si
•Wat Sorasak
•Wat Phra Phai Luang
•Wat Traphang Ngoen

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Photos

Anne at Wat Traphang Ngoen
My traveling companion for the day

Me at Wat Si Chum
This was an impressive Buddha statue