Central · Thailand
Sukhothai · สุโขทัย
The first Thai kingdom — lotus ponds, walking Buddhas, Loy Krathong's birthplace.
- Region
- Central
- Population
- 587,000
- Area
- 6,596 km²
- Stories filed
- 2
About Sukhothai
History
Sukhothai — "Dawn of Happiness" — is remembered in Thai historiography as the first independent Thai kingdom, founded in 1238 after breaking free of Khmer rule. Its most famous ruler, Ramkhamhaeng, is credited with creating the Thai script and presiding over a golden age of Theravada Buddhism, sculpture, and statecraft. The kingdom lasted less than two hundred years before being absorbed by the rising power of Ayutthaya, but its art and script shape Thai identity to this day.
Landscape & geography
The province lies on a river plain between two mountain ranges, with the old city and the Yom River's tributaries on the west and the modern town and main highway on the east. The historical park itself is a forested enclosure of moats, lotus ponds, and ruins.
Why visit
Sukhothai Historical Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is the reason. Rent a bicycle and ride between Wat Mahathat's water-ringed chedi, Wat Si Chum's enormous seated Buddha peering through a chapel door, and the hilltop Wat Saphan Hin. The Si Satchanalai satellite park, an hour north, is emptier and arguably more atmospheric. Stay two nights to give both parks their due.
Stories from Sukhothai
Articles, reviews, and itineraries tagged to this province.
