Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Sukhothai is a small city in Lower Northern Thailand, 427 kilometres north of Bangkok. Its attraction
lies in the ruins of the ancient city Sukhothai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name translates
as "the dawn of happiness".
Ancient Sukhothai was the first capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom, a long arc of territory
that ran through what is today's Laos and western Thailand as far as the Malay states.
The kingdom was established in 1238 by the founder of the Phra Ruang dynasty. It was
the state that eventually had the greatest influence on the later Siamese and Thai kingdoms.
The province's temples and monuments have been restored and the UNESCO-listed Sukhothai
Historical Park covers a wide area with numerous sites. The city walls form a rectangle about
2 km east-west by 1.6 km north-south. There are 193 ruins on 70 square kilometers of land.
There is a gate in the centre of each wall. Inside are the remains of the royal palace
and twenty-six temples, the largest being Wat Mahathat.
The old city is a popular tourist attraction, and the site has seen much restoration since
the 1960s. It is well maintained, exceptionally clean and well furnished with vendors, though
with only a minimum of touts. The heavy restoration is worth noting, since with some ruins and
Buddha figures it can lead to a feeling that it is a little over-sanitised, especially
in the central zone. The other zones are much less "restored" and trips down unmarked tracks
can lead to ruins in their untouched state.
The park sees thousands of visitors each year, who marvel at the ancient Buddha figures,
palace buildings and ruined temples. The park is easily toured by bicycle or even on foot.