Sukhothai - Tourism Authority of Thailand, Malaysia

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12 13independent Thai kingdom, and it enjoyed a golden age underthe great King Ramkhamhaeng. Abandoned and overgrownfor many centuries, the superb temples and monuments of thissplendid city have been restored in Sukhothai Historical Park,a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A must-see for all travellers,Sukhothai is one of the most important historical sites inSoutheast Asia.Historical BackgroundSukhothai, which means “Dawn of Happiness”, was the firstkingdom of the Thais, formed after Thai forces drove theKhmers out of the city, a major frontier post of the KhmerEmpire, and established it as their capital in 1238. The firstking’s son, Ramkhamhaeng, ascended the throne in 1278 andreigned for forty years. A fine warrior, King Ramkhamhaeng theGreat made Sukhothai a powerful and extensive kingdom whichincluded many parts of what are today neighbouring countries.King Ramkhamhaeng the Great opened direct political relationswith China and made two trips there, from which he broughtback Chinese artisans who taught the Thai fine pottery techniques,resulting in the famous Sawankhalok ceramics. A majorachievement of his reign was the revision of various forms ofthe Khmer alphabet into a system suitable for the writing ofThai. The alphabet that the king invented in 1283 is essentiallythe same that is used today.King Ramkhamhaeng the Great’s reign is noted for prosperityand happiness, as recorded in a stone inscription well-known toThais.“This realm of Sukhothai is good. In the water there are fish;in the fields there is rice. The ruler does not levy a tax on thepeople who travel along the road together, leading their oxenWat Chang LomWat Phra Si Rattana Mahathaton the way to trade and riding their horses on the way to sell.Whoever wants to trade in elephants, so trades. Whoever wantsto trade in horses, so trades. Whoever wants to trade in silverand gold, so trades.”King Ramkhamhaeng the Great also promoted religion andculture, and through his efforts Buddhism progressed among thepeople. Inspirational faith gave birth to classic forms of Thai religiousart. Images of the Buddha sculpted during the Sukhothaiera are cultural treasures which impart a feeling of peace andserenity. Eight kings ruled Sukhothai, whose gradual declineoccurred during the last two reigns. The end of the first Thaikingdom came in 1365 when it was reduced to a vassal state byAyutthaya, a young and rising Thai power to the south, whichbecame the capital for four centuries, succeeded by Bangkok.Sukhothai Historical ParkThe Park is located 12 km. from Sukhothai town on the TakHighway; open daily 8.30 a.m.-4.30 p.m.; admission 40 baht.
14 15Bicycles can be rented for touring the ruins. The Park’s TouristService Centre (Tel: 0 5569 7310) provides information anddisplays models of historical buildings and structures of the oldSukhothai. Lying over an extensive area, ruins of the royal palaces,Buddhist temples, city gates, walls, moats, dams, ditches,ponds, canals and the water dyke control system are preserved,with major restoration by the Fine Arts Department in cooperationwith UNESCO.Inside the City WallsThe core city was surrounded by walls and earthen ramparts;this forms the centre of the historical park. It was rectangular,1,300 m. by 1,800 m., with four gates. A stone inscriptionrecords that King Ramkhamhaeng the Great set up a bell at oneof the gates. If his subjects needed help, they could ring the belland the king would come out to settle disputes and dispensejustice. Within the walls are the remains of 35 structures. Themost notable are described as follows:Royal Palace and Wat MahathatThe Royal Palace lies in the centre of the city, surrounded bya moat and contains two main compounds: the royal residenceand the royal sanctuary. Here, the famous stone inscription ofKing Ramkhamhaeng the Great was found by King Mongkut(Rama IV) in the 19 th century together with part of the stonethrone called Manangkhasila-at. King Ramkhamhaeng the Greatset up a throne in the midst of a sugar-palm grove where, at hisrequest, a monk preached on Buddhist holy days and the kingconducted the affairs of state on other days. This throne waslater installed in Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha.Lying west of the Royal Palace compound is Wat Mahathat, theWat MahathatWat Mahathat
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Page 10 and 11: 16 17Wat Mahathatroyal sanctuary, w
Page 13 and 14: 22 23Wat Saphan HinRamkhamhaeng Nat
Page 15: 26 27centre of the temple. Ruins of
Page 18 and 19: 32 33Located beside the Nan River,
Page 20 and 21: 36 37Phitsanulok is a major provinc
Page 22 and 23: 40 41watersheds feeding several str
Page 24 and 25: 44 45Situated in the heart of Thail
Page 26: 48 49best crop contests are held. I

Sukhothai - Tourism Authority of Thailand, Malaysia

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