The Temples of Bangkok - Approach Guides

Fig. 5. Thai stupa type #1. Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai. Highlights added.
Defining characteristics of Thai stupa type #1 include:
• Stepped terraces and redented bases. Two or three square terraces rise to support a
deeply redented (that is, with cutout corners) and tower-shaped base; this base supports the
anda. The stepped terraces are a distinctive element of the Thai stupa (shared with those of
Myanmar’s Bagan) and mark a clear push away from earlier Sri Lanka prototypes. Further,
the tower-like bases, which afford these structures their elegance and vertical momentum,
seem to borrow from earlier Khmer prangs (discussed in the next section). See yellow highlights
in Fig. 5.