Sukhothai
The ruined city of Sukhothai, first capital of the independent Thai nation is now a well-preserved national historical park, declared a world heritage by UNESCO in 1992.

The historical park, 430 kms. north of Bangkok, abounds with magnificent ruins of the country's first Buddhist temples, more than 700 years old, of both Khmer and Sukhothai architectures.

Majestic spreads of age-old temple ruins in the form of stucco and brick shells stand with rows of roofless temple pillars chedi in attendant. Amidst the ruins are graceful stucco Buddha images, considered to be the most beautiful in the kingdom up to now. Vast expanses of water-lily covered ponds, scattered across the grassy park, bear dramatic reflections of the ruins. With the surrounding green thickets and the backdrop of distant hills on the horizon, the historical park is a veritable photographer paradise.

Brief History
Sukhothai, meaning The Dawn of Happiness, was the first independent kingdom of the Thai nation founded in 1238. Earlier, the people of the Thai race had been settlers in acattered communities in what is today the country's northern part, at that time still under Khmer domination. These people were believed to have migrated down from southern China. The Thai settlements got stronger and banded together against Khmers to found Sukhothai as the capital for their nation.

The Sukhothai period turned out to become the golden era of Thai history at its very start. The first capital was the literal cradle of Thai culture, political philosophy and arts thanks to a great king, Ram Khamhang of the Sukhothai dynasty, whose monument (No 1. on the map) was built at the entrance of the park. the king was the inventor of the Thai alphabets. Sukhothai's art was the foundation of Thailand's very own, a unique art form of South East Asia, albeit a conglomerated mersion of mixed Khmer, Ceylonese, Sri Vichaya and Davaravati.

Sukhothai rose to be a powerful and prosperous kingdom with sphere of influence reaching down to the Malacca straits and across the Mekhong to prewent day Laos. Sukhothai was never conquered but faded away and left to fall into ruins in mid 14 th century when the Ayutthayan Thais further south grew stronger and claimed dominance as the nation's next capital. The ruins at the historical park still retain much of the Sukhothai art objects and architecture to make it quite a worthwhile visit, not only for archaeologists and foreign visitors, but also the Thais who are interested in getting to the very root of the culture of their own nation.

Sightseeing
The various sightseeing and tourist attractions for which Sukhothai is famous for are:
Sukhothai National Historical Park  |  Wat Srisawai  |  Wat Srasri  |  Tapha Daeng Shrine  |  Wat Phra Pai Luang  |  Wat Srichum  |  Wat Trapang Thong Lang

* Site holds no responsibility for any errors or omissions.