Sights in Sukhothai Province
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Sangkhalok Museum
This small but comprehensive museum is an excellent introduction to ancient Sukhothai’s most famous product and export, its ceramics. It displays an impressive collection of original 700-year-old Thai pottery found in the area, plus some pieces traded from Vietnam, Burma and China. The 2nd floor features examples of non-utilitarian pottery made as art, including some beautiful and rare ceramic Buddha statues.
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Sawanworanayok National Museum
In Sawankhalok town, near Wat Sawankhalam on the western river bank of Yom, this state-sponsored museum houses an impressive collection of 12th- to 15th-century artefacts. The ground floor focuses on the area’s ceramic legacy, while the 2nd floor features several beautiful bronze and stone Sukhothai-era Buddha statues.
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Ramkhamhaeng National Museum
A good starting point for exploring the historical park ruins is Ramkhamhaeng National Museum. A replica of the famous Ramkhamhaeng inscription, said to be the earliest example of Thai writing, is kept here among an impressive collection of Sukhothai artefacts.
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Sukhothai Ruins
The Sukhothai ruins are one of Thailand’s most impressive World Heritage Sites. The park includes remains of 21 historical sites and four large ponds within the old walls, with an additional 70 sites within a 5km radius.
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Wat Trapang Thong
Next to the museum, this small, still-inhabited wát with its fine stucco reliefs is reached by a footbridge across the large lotus-filled pond that surrounds it. This reservoir, the original site of Thailand's Loi Krathong festival, supplies the Sukhothai community with most of its water.
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Wat Si Sawai
Just south of Wat Mahathat, this Buddhist shrine (dating from the 12th and 13th centuries) features three Khmer-style towers and a picturesque moat. It was originally built by the Khmers as a Hindu temple.
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Wat Sa Si
Also known as 'Sacred Pond Monastery', Wat Sa Si sits on an island west of the bronze monument of King Ramkhamhaeng (the third Sukhothai king). It's a simple, classic Sukhothai-style wát containing a large Buddha, one chedi and the columns of the ruined wí·hăhn.
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Wat Saphan Hin
Located on the crest of a hill that rises about 200m above the plain, the name of the wát, which means 'stone bridge', is a reference to the slate path and staircase that leads up to the temple, which are still in place. The site is 3km west of the former city wall and gives a good view of the Sukhothai ruins to the southeast and the mountains to the north and south.
All that remains of the original temple are a few chedi and the ruined wí·hăhn, consisting of two rows of laterite columns flanking a 12.5m-high standing Buddha image on a brick terrace.
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Wat Phra Phai Luang
Outside the city walls in the northern zone, this somewhat isolated wát features three 12th-century Khmer-style towers, bigger than those at Wat Si Sawai. This may have been the centre of Sukhothai when it was ruled by the Khmers of Angkor prior to the 13th century.
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Wat Mahathat
Completed in the 13th century, the largest wát in Sukhothai is surrounded by brick walls (206m long and 200m wide) and a moat that is believed to represent the outer wall of the universe and the cosmic ocean. The chedi spires feature the famous lotus-bud motif, and some of the original stately Buddha figures still sit among the ruined columns of the old wí·hăhn. There are 198 chedi within the monastery walls – a lot to explore in what many consider was once the spiritual and administrative centre of the old capital.
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Wat Chetupon
Located 1.4km south of the city walls, this temple once held a four-sided mon·dòp featuring the four classic poses of the Buddha (sitting, reclining, standing and walking). The graceful lines of the walking Buddha can still be made out today.
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Wat Chedi Si Hong
Directly across from Wat Chetupon, the main chedi here has retained much of its original stucco relief work, which shows still vivid depictions of elephants, lions and humans.
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Wat Chang Lom
Off Hwy 12 in the east zone, Wat Chang Lom (Elephant Circled Monastery) is about 1km east of the main park entrance. A large bell-shaped chedi is supported by 36 elephants sculpted into its base.
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Sukhothai Historical Park
The Sukhothai ruins are one of Thailand's most impressive World Heritage Sites. The park includes remains of 21 historical sites and four large ponds within the old walls, with an additional 70 sites within a 5km radius.
The architecture of Sukhothai temples is most typified by the classic lotus-bud chedi, featuring a conical spire topping a square-sided structure on a three-tiered base. Some sites exhibit other rich architectural forms introduced and modified during the period, such as bell-shaped Sinhalese and double-tiered Srivijaya chedi.
Despite the popularity of the park, it's quite expansive, and solitary exploration is usually possible. Some of the most impressive r…
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Ancient Textile Museum
Vintage Hat Siaw textiles, ranging from 80 to 200 years, can be seen at the Ancient Textile Museum opposite the market at the northern end of town. The men’s pâh ká·máh (short sarong) from Hat Siaw, typically in dark plaids, are highly regarded.
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