Sukhothai
Article by www.exotissimo.com - Your travel partner in Indochina, Myanmar and Thailand.
In the 15th century,
the city of Sukhothai
was absorbed into
the kingdom of
Ayutthaya and
abandoned; forgotten
until it was
rediscovered again in
the early 20th
century.
In 1238, two Thai princes
defeated the Khmer at
Sukhothai and established
the first kingdom of the Thais
there. For the next 150 years,
the citywas home to nine kings
and a period of territorial
conquests and cultural growth
through the adoption of
Theravada Buddhism from Sri
Lanka, and a golden age of
political, social and artistic
growth.
This period saw the
establishment of traditions that
still endure today: the creation
of the Thai script attributed to
the ancient city's most revered king, Ramkhamhaeng, a new
concept of monarchy that did
not elevate the king to god-like
status but made him more
accessible, and stylised and
graceful statues that captured
the Buddha inmovement, with
his arm swinging freely and the
heel of one foot raised.
What's left today is the 70
square kilometre Sukhothai
Historical Park, mostly ruins of
a great past; crumbling walls of
the grand palace once
decorated in stucco, ruined
columns and missing sections
of the city walls. There are also
perfectly preserved life-sized Buddha images, the lotusshaped
chedi ofWat Mahathat,
four gorgeous ponds filled with
pink and white lotus flowers,
and artefacts safely guarded at
the Ramkhamhaeng National
Museum, all under UNESCO's
protection as aWorld Heritage
Site.
Twelve kilometres away is the
new city of Sukhothai, an
unassuming place of markets
and friendly locals notable for
its location near the old city of
Sukhothai and accommodating
number of guest houses.
Wat Mahathat
The largest and grandest
monument within the
Sukhothai National Park, Wat
Mahathat is surrounded by a
brick wall and protective
moat and decorated with a
Khmer prang, or tower,
Singhalese stupas and a
distinct Sukhothai bud tower. |
