The lotus bud
A stupa in Sukhothai's signature style.
Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Hartmann Linge — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hartmann Linge — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hartmann Linge — CC BY-SA 4.0
Sukhothai's most important and largest temple, the spiritual heart of the royal city and the kingdom's royal temple. At its centre stands a main stupa topped by a lotus-bud spire, the style that defines Sukhothai, ringed by dozens of smaller stupas, column platforms and ruined halls. Sukhothai was the capital of the first Thai kingdom in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, where the Thai alphabet took shape and a distinctive style of Buddha images flourished, with flowing bodies and serene smiles; its ruins are today part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in 1991. Its loveliest features are the rows of columns standing on the great hall's platform, ending in a massive seated Buddha; two standing Buddhas in tall shrines flanking the main stupa; and stucco reliefs of monks walking around its base. The surrounding ponds mirror the whole scene. The temple lies within the central zone, and the zone fee for foreigners is about one hundred baht, covering its other temples. It is lit in the evening on some days. The midday heat is fierce from March to May, so come early in the morning or late afternoon, with a hat and water. Its finest moment is sunrise, when the stupa's silhouette falls on the pond; it is the best place to begin your tour of the park.
A stupa in Sukhothai's signature style.
Ending in a massive seated Buddha.
A stucco procession round the base.
Central zone, Sukhothai Historical Park
Wat Si SawaiA striking temple of three adjoining Khmer-style towers, called prang, with stuc5 minutes walk
Wat Sa SiOne of Sukhothai's most poetic sights: a small temple on an island in the middle5 minutes walk
Ramkhamhaeng National MuseumThe main museum of the Sukhothai kingdom's history, at the entrance to the centr5 minutes walk
Sukhothai Historical ParkOne of the most beautiful archaeological sites in South-East Asia: the ruins of 6 minutes walk
Wat Phra Phai LuangSukhothai's second most important temple after Wat Mahathat, and older, in the n18 minutes walkNo, the name is common and means «temple of the great relic». This one is in Sukhothai, older, famed for its lotus-bud stupa; Ayutthaya's is known for the Buddha head in the roots.