Sukhuthai Old City

The Old City is 1800 m long and 1300 m wide, and was originally encompassed by triple earthen ramparts and two moats, pierced by four gates. Within the city there are 21 historical sites; outside the walls are another 70 or so places of historical interest. At one time the city may have been home to as many as 300,000 people, with an efficient tunnel system to bring water from the mountains and a network of roads. It was an urban centre to rival any in Europe. Within the city are monuments of many different styles – as if the architects were attempting to imbue the centre with the magical power of the other Buddhist sites: there are Mon chedis, Khmer prangs and Ceylonese chedis, as well as monuments of clearly Sukhothai inspiration.

Park essentials

The park is open daily 06:00-18:00. A new entrance has also been created about 250 m from its original location towards Namo Gage. It is divided into five zones, each with an admission charge: B40 for the central section and B30 for each of the north, south, east and west sections. If you intend to visit all the zones, then it makes sense to purchase the so-called ‘Total’ ticket which cost B150, thus saving B10. This ‘all in’ ticket also includes entrance to the Si Satchanalai Historical Park, the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum, the Sangkaloke Kiln Education and Preservation Centre (45km outside Sukhothai) and the Sankha Woranayok National Museum (at Sawankhalok); you could end up saving more than B100. The Total ticket is valid for 30 days (each site can only be visited once within this time). There are additional charges: B50 per car, B10 per bike, B20 per motorcycle. If you want to explore the outer ruins, such as Wat Chetuphon and Wat Saphan Hin no ticket is needed and entrance is free.

Getting around

Traveling the 12km between the new and old cities is easy enough; the open-side buses leave every 10 minutes (06:00-17:30, B10) from the station on Charodwithithong Road or from the main bus station (buses from the Old City to Sukhothai stop operating at 18:00). Tuk-tuks cost no more than B100 (they congregate on Nikhon Kasem Road). Alternatively, go on a tour, hire a motorbike (B250) or charter a tuk-tuk for the trip there and back, along with trips around the side (B200-250 for three hours). When you arrive in the Old City hire a bicycle (B20 per day) or moped (B250 per day) from the entrance gate close to the museum, or take the little yellow trolley bys which tours the major sights (B20). Don’t forget a bottle of water if you’re cycling.

Kamphanghek Gate and Ramkhamhaeng National Museum

Open hours 09:00-16:00, B30 or with Total ticket.

Situated just inside the Kamphanghek (Broken wall) Gate – the entrance gate – is the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum – a good place to begin to begin a tour. The museum contains a cop of some wonderful Buddha images, along with explanatory information. It also houses a range of household goods giving an indication of the sophistication of Sukhothai society.

Wat Mahathat

The centre of the Sukhothai Kingdom was Wat Mahathat and the royal palace – the easiest example in Thailand. This was both the religious and the political centre of kingdom and is usually regarded as the first truly ‘Sukhothai’ monument. The complex was begun by King Intradit, expanded by King Ramkhamhaeng and finally completed by King Lo Thai in 1345, or thereabouts.

The principal building is the central sanctuary, which King Lo Thai is said to have rebuilt in the 1340s to house the hair and neck-bone relics of the Buddha which had been brought back form Ceylon. The central tower is surrounded by four smaller chedis in Srivijaya-Ceylonese style, alternating with four Khmer prangs. The entire assemble is raised up on a two-tiered base with a stucco frieze of walking monks in relief.

Some original Buddha images still sit among the ruins. Particularly unusual are the two monumental standing Buddhas, in an attitude for forgiveness, on either side of the central sanctuary, enclosed by brick walls, with their heads protruding over the top.

Royal Palace (Phra Ruang Palace)

Little remains of the original Royal Palace. It was here that King Mongkut, while he was still the Crown Prince, found the famous Inscription No1 of King Ramkhamhaeng, the Manangsilabat stone throne, and the stone inscription of King Lithai in 1833. All three objects – which became talisman for the Thai people – were carted off the Bangkok. Whether the Royal Palace really was a palace is a subject for conjecture. The site appears rather too small and, although it has revealed a mass of objects, some scholars believe it was the site of a royal pavilion rather than a royal palace. TO the north of Wat Mahathat is San Da Pa Deng (e), the oldest existing structure form the Sukhothai era. It is a small Khmer laterite prang built during the first half of the 1th century.

Wat Trapang Ngoen and Wat Trapang Thong

Wat Trapang Ngoen – Temple of the Silver Pond – contains a large lotus-bud chedi, similar to that at Wat Mahathat. One passage from Inscription No1 refers to this wat: “In the middle of this city of Sukhothai the water of the Pho Si Pond is as clear and as good to drink as the river of the Khong [Mekong] in the dry season.” Wat Trapang Thong sits on an island, after which the monastery is named. It is approached along rickety bridge. Particularly fine are the stucco reliefs, of which perhaps the most beautiful is that on the south side of the mondop. It shows the Buddha descending from the Tavatimsa Heaven with the attendant Brahma on his left and Indra on his right and is considered the finest piece of stucco work form the Sukhothai period.

Wat Sra Sri and King Ramkhamhaeng’s statue

Wat Sra Sri, to the north of Wat Trapang Ngoen, is a popular photo-spot, as the bot is reflected in a pond. A Ceylonese-style chedi dominates the complex, which also contains a fine, large, seated Buddha image enclosed by columns. To the east of here is King Ramkhamhaeng’s statue, seated on a copy of the stone throne (the Phra Thaen Manag Silabat) that was found on the site of the Royal Palace and which is now in the Wat Phra Kaeo Museum in Bangkok. The statue was erected in 1969 and the high-relief carvings depict famous episodes form the life of the illustrious king.

Wat Sri Sawai

To the southwest of Wat Mahathat is Wat Sri Sawai, enclosed within laterite walls. It was built during the time that Sukhothai was under Khmer domination. The prang is in the three-tower style, with the largest central prang (rather badly restored) being 20m tall. The stucco decoration was added to the towers in the 15^th century, as were their upper brick portions. The lower laterite levels are the original sections, built under Khmer influence. It must originally have been a Hindu shrine, as carvings of Vishnu and other Hindu divinities have been found on the site.