Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns, World Heritage Site in Thailand

Sukhothai was the capital of the Sukhothai Dynasty, which flourished from the 13th to 15th centuries.Among the vast ruins, Wat Mahathat, Wat Si Chum, and other monuments of the once prosperous kingdom can still be seen today.

Here, a World Heritage enthusiast explains why Sukhothai is a World Heritage Site in an easy-to-understand manner.Read this and you will definitely learn more about Sukhothai

What is Sukhothai?

Sukhothai is an ancient city in northern Thailand and was the capital during the Sukhothai Dynasty, which flourished from the 13th to 15th centuries. This is the place where Thailand’s architectural history can be said to have begun, and the urban architecture developed during the Sukhothai dynasty had a great influence on the cities of Thailand that followed. The unique “Sukhothai style” of architecture established here eventually led to the Ayutthaya dynasty, which flourished in central Thailand.

The registered heritage sites are located in Sukhothai and Kamphaengphet provinces in what is now the northern part of Thailand. The Sukhothai-era sites consist of three historical parks.

Registered Component Heritage Sites

Sukhothai Historical Park

Sukhothai was the capital of the Sukhothai Dynasty, which flourished from the 13th to 15th centuries. It is now in ruins and open to the public as a park. The park is surrounded by city walls measuring 1.8 km east to west and 1.6 km north to south. The center of the park is an archaeological park with many royal palaces and Buddhist temples. Buddhist monuments are scattered on the east, west, south, and north sides of the city walls.

Wat Mahathat

Founded in the 13th century. It is the central Buddhist temple of the kingdom, with a chedi at its center and many Buddha statues and other objects scattered throughout the grounds. It is characterized by being built in a variety of architectural styles, not only Sukhothai style.

Wat Sasih

This small temple is believed to have been built at the end of the 14th century. The temple floats on an island in a pond and has a Sri Lankan-style chedi.

Wat Si Chum

Construction of this temple began in the 13th century and was completed at the end of the 14th century. The huge Buddha hall in the center of the temple is 15 meters high, and the Buddha in the hall is the largest in the ruins and a symbol of Sukhothai.

Si Satchanalai Historical Park

Si Satchanalai was the second city north of Sukhothai. It was originally built as a residence for the deputy king. It served as a religious city, with numerous temples and Buddhist monasteries. It was also the center of the ceramics industry in the country, having introduced ceramics manufacturing methods from China.

Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park

Kamphaeng Phet, which means “Golden Wall,” was located to the south of the kingdom. As a city, it had the important function of protecting the kingdom from invaders such as the Burmese and connecting the kingdom’s trade network safely.

For what reason is Sukhothai on the World Heritage List?

Sukhothai was recognized for

Registration Criteria (i)
That the city was well developed, from town planning to many Buddhist buildings and infrastructure such as water distribution.

Registration Criteria (iii)
Sukhothai is a place where early Thai art, architecture, language, literature, and religion flourished.

World Heritage Mania Conclusions and Comments

The word Sukhothai means “dawn of happiness.As the first Thai dynasty to move south from Yunnan, it is important in that it laid the foundation for the kingdoms that were subsequently opened by the Thai people, including their architectural style.

Incidentally, the ruins of Sukhothai are vast. Moreover, there are few explanations, so unless you have studied them beforehand, you will not know what you are looking at… except in the central area. Moreover, there are few visitors to the west and south sides of the city walls, so you can take a leisurely tour by bicycle or motorcycle, but be careful not to get lost.

*The content here is a discussion derived from research conducted by World Heritage enthusiasts. As for the data, interpretation differs depending on the medium.