Sukhothai
"History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future."
Robert Penn Warren
Sukhothai was the first capital of the first Kingdom of Siam, the forerunner of modern day Thailand.
Established in 494 CE with the migration of Tai people from mainland SE Asia, it was an outpost of the Khmer empire. In the 12th century it was considered a regional logistics hub for trade and in the 13th century the formal Sukhothai Kingdom was established, which continued until the end of the 14th century.
The kingdom expanded under subsequent kings of the Phra Ruang dynasty. King Ram Khamhaeng in particular expanded and led the kingdom at the height of its power. He was responsible for establishing Theravada Buddhism as the state religion. He invented Sukhothai script which later evolved into the modern Thai of today.
After his death infighting amongst his successors led to the annexation of Sukhothai by Ayutthaya, and it became a vassal state.
Despite this Sukhothai is considered the first capital of modern Thailand and has left a powerful legacy of political, historical and ideological influence on the development of this unique nation. The Sukhothai "democracy" rule, which describes the relationship between the people and the king as a "father-son" relationship, is considered particularly important as the seed of ancient Thai democracy, and the basis of Thai liberation from foreign influence.
We were excited to investigate.
Le Charme
We were dropped by the bus right outside the Sukhothai Historical Park on a busy street with restaurants and bike shops taking up about the same amount of space.
We had booked 3 nights at Le Charme, a couple of kilometres from the historical centre, which is, in turn, about 7 km from the modern city of Sukhothai Thani. We loaded into a tuk tuk to deliver us to our hotel.
The street was swarming with tuk tuks which were ridiculously cheap and we never struggled for transport in Sukhothai
I had chosen this accommodation because it had a 25 m swimming pool and, in the interests of finding exercise opportunities for Dudley, we decided we could swim lengths there. Also I got a ridiculous deal, R5000 discount and breakfast thrown in.
It was a comfortable lodge with bungalows in landscaped gardens, a bar and restaurant and the promised pool. More hotel than hostel, but the people were friendly and the bikes were free. Cycling is the preferred means of transport in Sukhothai. Unfortunately I fell off before we left the car park. We were back to foot power.
As soon as we put our luggage down we went out to find some teabags. A more difficult task than it sounds. For some reason, and in the great tea growing north, tea bags were difficult to come by. We had been forced to snaffle them from the breakfast buffets.
We walked into town to find the shops. As we hopped down the road it began to look a bit dark and we had come without our coats or umbrella. Predictably at the end of the road the heavens opened and again we were presented with the reality that is monsoon.
We could not have been more wet if someone had thrown us in the swimming pool fully clothed. This was within seconds of the rain starting, and while we were still formulating a plan.
Moral of the story there is no plan, just get wet. We sheltered under a leaky roadside stall, bought a watermelon from the lady next door who was laughing at us, and took photos of the impact of the downpour on our fellow commuters. The motorbikes looked miserable, but very photogenic!
And just like that the sun came out.
The rain left as quickly as it came, leaving behind beautiful light reflecting in the puddles. Wandering through a market we came on a temple complex, Siphan Boon Wat Traphang Thong, at the eastern side of the historical park, it sits on a man made lake and is accessed by wooden bridges. It is also known as the Temple of the Golden Lake. It is the only temple in the ancient complex still in active use.
We were able to cross the bridge and wander around the complex as the sun sent out fragile rays to light it. It was beautiful.
Continuing we saw the comforting lights of the local 7/11 and we collected the precious tea and headed for home.
It was an encouraging introduction to the beauty of Sukhothai.
Siphan Boon Wat Traphang Thong
This is the story of the legend of Phra Ruang and the Khmer Assassin.
Phra Ruang was a prince and responsible for sending sacred water from Lavo as a tribute to the Khmer king. He invented a new form of transport by treating baskets with a special resin.. The emperor thought Phra Ruangs' brilliance would affect the the power of the empire and sent a Khmer assassin to murder him. Knowing this might happen Phra Ruang had himself ordained as a monk at the Wat Phra Sri Mahathat. When the assassin arrived in Sukhothai he saw a monk sweeping the grounds and asked where he may find Phra Ruang. The monk was Phra Ruang and replied "Stay here, don't move". The assassin gradually turned to a rock like solid mass in the grounds of the temple.
People of the old city area believed a particular rock in the grounds of the temple was the assassin and used to flake off stone for medicine. In 1907 when he visited, the king ordered the stone to be protected and it now sits in the National Museum.
That evening we had supper at the hotel , overlooking a small lotus filled lake. The mosquitos were huge! There is a lot of standing water around here.
Sukhothai Historical Park
The Sukhothai Historical Park represents the old centre of the city when it was the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom. All the normal buildings decayed because they were built of clay, wood and reeds, but the temples survived because they were built of stone.
As a result there are ten temples, a monument, a museum and a shrine dotted around the area and surrounded by grass and trees and waterways in a 3-4 sq km walled area.
There are additionally another 200 temples in the greater area. Some have been restored but most are at least partially ruined.
Old Sukhothai was effectively abandoned in the 16 th century, due to successive Burmese-Siam wars, and people were forcibly evacuated. In the 18th century Rama I established the new Sukhothai Thani 7 km away. He also removed a lot of the artefacts from the old city to Bangkok.
There are no cars or motorbikes allowed in the park.
You pay BHT 200 entry and you can walk or cycle down the paths between the temples. There is a tram with a set route, or you can hire a sort of golf cart. As usual wee decided to walk. You get to breathe in the atmosphere best on foot.
It was very beautiful. The canals and lakes are full of lotus blooms. The temple ruins rise out of this landscape, evocative and powerful.
At the first temple we were approached by a Thai guy, Sanun, from our hotel. He worked in IT in Bangkok but had a passion for history and architecture and we ended up spending the whole morning with him as he explained the nuances of the various architectural styles and motifs.
He was particularly fascinated with religious history and had even visited the centre of Zoroastrianism in Iran. This is a religion associated with sacred fire. Dudley was impressed. It seems at least 2 people had heard of it!
At the end of the morning we could recognise a Sukhothai buddha by his expression and dress, recognise Khmer influence in architecture and lotus motifs in the chedi.
Sanun had travelled widely in SE Asia, often visiting religiously significant sites. He spent a year as a forest monk in Thailand , the hardest lifestyle for monks, often remote and with little support.
His insight changed how we looked at the temples and the design and gave us much more to think about. It can be easy to get templed out in Thailand but you need to look at the individuality of the temples, as well as historical context, and stop seeing them as the same as each other.
The biggest temple in the park is Wat Mahathat built by the first king of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th century.
Its name translates as the Temple of the Great Relic and the central stupa was built to house Buddha relics. That's actual bits of Buddha for those who are unfamiliar with the term holy relic!
The central stupa is in the shape of a lotus bud which we now know, thanks to our new friend, typifies Sukhothai architecture. Two 9m buddha statues are on either side of the main stupa. The complex includes 8 subsidiary stupas, a viharn, a pavilion, an ubosot with boundary stones and about 200 other small stupas
Wat Mahathat
Our next temple was Wat Si Sawai or Si Sawai Temple.
This is one of the oldest temples in Sukhothai, founded in the late 12th century as a Hindu Shrine for Vishnu before the foundation of the Sukhothai Kingdom.
The temple has three corncob prangs, representing the Hindu trinity, enclosed by a double rampart and a moat.
The architecture is Kymer and clearly distinctive
Later, around the 14th century, the temple was adapted to the needs of the Buddhist faith. Vihara were added to the south of the central prang.
Numerous Chinese porcelains and Hindu god statues have been found in the area, including the Shiva statue discovered by Rama VI in 1907.
Wat Si Sawai
Wat Sa Si is a small temple beautifully situated in the midst of Traphang-Trakuan lake.
Due to its location, the temple is considered one of the most beautiful places in Sukhothai.
We went for lunch with Sanun and then he left us to visit another ruined city 50 km away. He was on his motorbike and had taken a few days from work to make this pilgrimage. He really had a passion for his history.
Wat Si Sa
The other temples are less well preserved. It was hard and hot doing the rounds, but we managed to return again late in the afternoon for better light. The rain drizzled as the sun set and we were rewarded by a rainbow.
Outside the Park
As mentioned there are perhaps 200 ruins in the 70 km sq outside the historical park and we had little appetite for trying to see everything.
We returned to the hotel to charge our batteries, camera and human, then we took a tuk tuk to look at some of the more scattered temples recommended by Sanun.
We roamed the leafy roads branching out from the historical park, passing many random ruins on the way.
One of the reasons Sukhothai is such a good place to to get around by bicycle, leafy lanes, waterways and flat roads. You could be in Holland if it wasn't for all the ruined temples! And the heat of course.
Wat Phra Phai Luang
Wat Phra Phai Luang was the ritual center of Sukhothai and the biggest temple in the city area. Built in the late 12th century the Kymer influence is strong. Of the 3 corncob prangs only one survives in good condition.
It is surrounded by a moat and all 3 prangs are open to the East and decorated with scenes from the life of Buddha.
The main temple is considered an important place to study the transition from Kymer to Thai art. Renovations after the 14th century added elaborate stucco ornaments, leaves and frames which became the basis of Thai art style. Much of the stucco has been whisked off to the museum though so use your imagination.
Wat Si Chum
One of the most impressive ruins was that of Wat Si Chum, about 2 km from the centre.
It was built in the 14th century. There is a huge pavilion inside the complex which houses a 15m high seated Buddha called Phra Achana. The walls are 3 m thick and there is a narrow passage at the back which can be used to reach the roof. More than 50 slates were discovered here with engravings depicting of the life of Buddha, the earliest examples of Thai drawing art known. The complex is surrounded by a moat.
It is said the king used to use the hidden passageway to address the people and the army through a hole, making them believe the voice they were hearing was the Buddhas. Good for morale!
I must say this Buddha was one of the most impressive features of the Sukhothai temples.
We stopped at a small market on the edge of the historical park to sample some snacks.
I bought a handful of fish pellets from a little old lady to throw in the lake and was startled when it precipitated a boiling cauldron of huge catfish next to the pier.
I wonder if they are protected or if anyone fishes there.
These huge catfish are often found in the canals and temple lakes and they are fed regularly from the temples, I think it buys you some merit. It certainly means they grow to the size of small sharks.
The seating for the market stalls consists of small low tables and customers must squat on the ground to eat. The grace that everyone brings to sitting and rising from this position, all ages, still blows me away. Movement goals.
Feeding the fish, a cauldron of fish frenzy.
We ended the day at a local restaurant. Tastier and significantly cheaper than the hotel. We ate Sukhothai noodles which appear to be the same as every other Phat Thai noodle except for the addition of green beans. Not very innovative but the Sukhothai natives are proud of it.
We listened to live music from a street market across the road. I will never tire of the night sounds of Thailand. There is always something to calm you down, cheer you up and make you grateful for just being there. It's hard to be bored.
Next day, in line with our usual plan, we stayed at the hotel to swim and rest before moving on. I would have liked to go back to the temples and to branch out to small towns in the area but it is easy to get over stimulated and over tired.
So we wandered into town, visited a local market, found a pottery where they were selling the famous Sukhothai pottery, and ended up at a restaurant where fragrant curry was served in a tender young coconut.
We met a Dutch guy who was living near by with his younger Thai partner. Again a slightly sad looking situation, estranged from home and family, he ran away from his wife and children to Thailand. Maybe not the carefree lifestyle advertised. He admitted to drinking too much while chugging the Thai version of a giant Zamalek. A foreigner cannot own land in Thailand so all the property is in the name of the Thai partner. It makes any decisions difficult to reverse, your funds are tied up and not in your name. Life is complex, even in Thailand.
Chasing History
We had only scratched the surface of Sukhothai but it was time to move on. Amazing as it seemed our time was beginning to get short and we still had a lot to cover.
We had decided our next stop would be Phitsanolok. Frankly I had never heard of it but Sanun told us the second most revered religious artefact in Thailand, after the Emerald Buddha, lives there. This is known as The Golden Buddha. It was only an hour away. Decision made.
We were now veterans of the bus service around Thailand and, while comfortable, long journeys do get a bit cramped so a shorter hop sounded inviting.
I booked us on the bus for the next day. I also booked a hostel close to the river Nan which had a running route along the banks on both sides. Perfect. Dudley exercise sorted.
Early next morning we boarded our tuktuk for the station, ready for the next adventure.
