RAMKHAMHAENG NATIONAL PARK AND SUKHOTHAI HISTORICAL PARK
NATURE AND CULTURE AT THE CRADLE OF THAI CIVILIZATION
Modern-day residents
of Sukhothai pay homage to the mightiest of the Sukhothai kings,
Ramkhamhaeng the Great. This larger than life statue holds a book
in his right hand. His sword lies to his left. Pink lotuses now colonize the ancient irrigation system. |
continued: motorized
tram, which whisks around the main attractions at frequent intervals.
For budget travellers, there are plenty of cheap guesthouses clustered
nearby the park entrance for around 150 baht/ night up whilst, while
for those requiring a little more luxury, the Pailyn Hotel, four
kilometres east of the park, offers top-end accommodation from 1,
200 baht/ night for a twin room (Tel (055) 613310). Undoubtedly the largest and most impressive monument at this World Heritage Site is Wat Mahathat, considered to be the spiritual and administrative centre of the capital. A maze of columns and approximately 200 chedis, as well as some fine Buddha images almost overwhelm visitors. These stupas represent various architectural styles. The lotus bud shape is the definitive style of Sukhothai, but there are also chedis in the earlier styles of Hari-punchai/Lanna and Sri Lanka. Two impressive statues of the standing Buddha, 12 metres tall, flank the main one. Wat Sri Sawai, 350 metres south of Wat Mahathat, is impressive, not for its size, but for the distinctiveness of its architecture. It has three massive prang, shaped like corn cobs, in the Lop Buri style, intricately decorated with stucco images of Garuda (a giant bird-like god hatched from an egg incubated for 1, 000 years), Naga (a snake-like creature), and other beings from Hindu mythology. This structure was clearly a Hindu sanctuary, originally built in the Khmer-dominated, pre-Sukhothai period, before being expanded and transformed into a Buddhist temple after the foundation of the Thai capital. Wat Sa Si is attractive for its location. Standing in the middle of a reservoir, the ruins are reached via a bridge. They include an elegant Sinhalese-style chedi, which retains its long tapering spire, as well as a large Buddha image, an ordination hall and viharn (assembly hall). This temple was saved from almost certain destruction by the re-routing of a road, which used to run right through the middle of the site. Altogether, there are 21 structures within the old city walls and a further 70 sites in four other groups within a five kilometre radius. For detailed descriptions, visitors should obtain a copy of the bilingual A Guide to Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet Historical Parks published by the Office of Archeology and National Museums, Fine Arts Department, and available from the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum near the park entrance. continue |
