Sukhothai World Heritage Park

Sukhothai is a province in central Thailand, around 295 km from Chiang Mai. It was the first capital city of Siam/Thailand, established over 800 years ago. Sukhothai Historical Park is a vast area with numerous sites of historical interest which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A full day trip from Chiang Mai by road, we opted for a private guide and car. Total cost for tour inclusive of all tickets, transport and lunch was a very reasonable Thb 2300.per adult. (This figure reduces as the number of people increases) Our tour company picked us up bright and early at 7am in a spacious mini van and we began our long drive of around 4 hours.

A relatively flat route with the odd hill climb but the roads are excellent and you can admire several small towns and villages along the way. There are many small local coffee shops en route which serve strong hot coffee and have clean toilets for the essential breaks and we halted at one around 9am for around 20 minutes.

We reached Sukhothai Park around 11am ready to explore. As it is a large area with many temples big and small, our guide had picked the most interesting ones for us to view.

The main park area was originally surrounded by 3 moats and 3 walls of which parts are still in existence. Inside the main area only park authorized vehicles are allowed which is super as there are bicycles, tuktuks, buggies and hop on hop of trams available at a nominal cost. Walking is also an option but advisable only if you have lots of time on hand as the park is huge!

We settled on the self driven buggy as it was a REALLY hot day but there were many who were brave enough to cycle.

Our first 2 stops ,however, were outside the main park walls so we went there in our van.

Wat Si Chum

The Wat Si Chum temple comprises of a mondop(shrine) and a viharn(assembly hall). The viharn of which just the base and rows of pillars remain, stands in front of the mondop

Inside which sits the Phra Achana, the largest Buddha image in Sukhothai measuring 15 meters high and 11 meters wide. This Bhuddha image is known as a ‘speaking Bhuddha.’ According to legend at one time before a battle the King wanted to boost the morale of his troops and on his orders one of his soldiers climbed the narrow stairway in the mondop enshrining the Buddha image unnoticed by the other soldiers and delivered a speech to the troops. The acoustics of the small space and the fact that the speaker could not be seen made the soldiers believe it was the image of the Buddha speaking to them.

Till recently visitors were able to climb the same stairway but sadly it is no longer allowed.

The view of the huge Buddha partially visible inside the mondop is mesmerising and truly a wonder to behold.

Wat Phra Phai Luang

One of the oldest monuments in the park, the Wat Phra Phai Luang was the center of town in the pre Sukhothai era and the most important temple of that time.

When built, the temple was dedicated to Lord Vishnu but later in the Sukhothai era it was converted into a Theravada Buddhist temple.

The first structures built here were three Khmer style prangs, of which only the Northern one is still intact. The principal pagoda/chedi and viharn were surrounded by many smaller chedis, of which just the bases remain today.

After a local lunch nearby we then moved from our van to the buggy for the rest of the sights.

Wat Sa Si

The small temple consists of a principal chedi, another smaller chedi, a viharn, an ubosot(ordination room)and a Sukhothai style walking Buddha image.

Located on a small island in a lake it it one of the prettiest locations in the park.

Wat Si Sawai

Wat Si Sawai is also known as Wat Sri Savaya consists of three large Khmer style prangs and two viharns. The Wat Si Sawai is one of the oldest temples in Sukhothai. Prior to the 12th &-13th century Wat Si Sawai was a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Wat Mahathat

Wat Mahathat is the most important and impressive temple compound in Sukhothai Historical Park. It was the largest and most important temple of the empire, located next to the Royal Palace. ‘Wat Mahathat’ means ‘temple of the great relic’ and many Thai cities have a Wat Mahathat, where relics of the Buddha were kept.

The temple surrounded by a moat and brick walls contains a great number of monuments including the main lotus bud chedi, numerous more chedis in several styles, viharns, an ubosot and three mondops enshrining large images of the Buddha.

Absolutely stunning - must have been amazing when it was fully functional and all structures were whole. The attention to detail is truly noteworthy and the craftsmanship with very little in the way of tools is unbelievable.