Three Khmer towers
Unlike the rest of the park.
Gary Todd — Public domain · Gary Todd — Public domain · Gary Todd — Public domain · User: (WT-shared) Shoestring at wts wikivoyage — CC BY-SA 4.0
A striking temple of three adjoining Khmer-style towers, called prang, with stucco-decorated tips, standing within a laterite wall south of Wat Mahathat. Its form is quite unlike Sukhothai's other temples with their rounded stupas, because it dates from before the kingdom arose, when the region was under the influence of the Khmer empire of Angkor. Historians believe it was first built as a Hindu shrine to Shiva, then became a Buddhist temple under the Sukhothai kingdom, which added a prayer hall in front of the towers. Remains of fine stucco decoration of mythical creatures and flowers still cling to the towers. 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. The temple is within the central zone, and the zone fee for foreigners is about one hundred baht. The midday heat is fierce from March to May, so come early in the morning or late afternoon, with a hat and water. A short stop of a quarter to half an hour, minutes by bicycle from Wat Mahathat, and lit in the evening on some days.
Unlike the rest of the park.
A Shiva shrine turned temple.
Mythical creatures and flowers.
Central zone, south of Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park
Wat Mahathat, SukhothaiSukhothai's most important and largest temple, the spiritual heart of the royal 5 minutes walk
Wat Sa SiOne of Sukhothai's most poetic sights: a small temple on an island in the middle8 minutes walk
Ramkhamhaeng National MuseumThe main museum of the Sukhothai kingdom's history, at the entrance to the centr8 minutes walk
Sukhothai Historical ParkOne of the most beautiful archaeological sites in South-East Asia: the ruins of 10 minutes walk
Wat Phra Phai LuangSukhothai's second most important temple after Wat Mahathat, and older, in the n22 minutes walkBecause it is older, built in Khmer style before the Sukhothai kingdom arose, then reused as a Buddhist temple.