This old city, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, has been turned into an historical park in which some of its buildings, previously buried under a mass of vegetation, have been restored or rebuilt. At the heart of the park, the royal c..

Founded, according to an inscription, in the early years of the kingdom, around 1240, and extended during the course of subsequent reigns, Wat Mahatat was reserved for the devotions of the royal family. In addition to the ubosot , the complex compri..

The main feature of the Wat Mahatat, the Si Mahatat is a monumental chedi in the shape of a lotus bud and designed in the pure Sukhothai style. King Li Thai is said to have rebuilt it in order to house a hair and vertebra of Buddha brought back fro..

Three delightful prang still adorned with white stucco rise above the Wat Sri Sawai’s double wall built from brick and laterite. Founded under the Khmers in the 12C, this temple dedicated to Shiva undoubtedly remained unfinished following their dep..

The most typical architectural feature of the temples of Sukhothai is the lotus-bud spire which crowns the chedi . The highly romantic Wat Traphang Ngoen, the “temple of the silver lake”, with its small lake dotted with lotus flowers, has retained i..

Wat Sa Sri makes a delightful picture, with its elegant proportions and beautiful location demonstrating the aesthetic priorities of the original builders. Once over the wooden footbridge, admire the graceful walking Buddha – the gesture symbolises t..

Situated to the north of the city of Sukhothai, and also surrounded by water, Wat Phra Phay Luang equals the Mahatat temple in size. This is the oldest temple in Sukhothai, since it was built, like the Hindu temple, by the Khmers before the kingdom o..

According to legend, King Naresuan addressed his subjects from the head of the giant Buddha of Wat Si Chum, making it seem as though the Enlightened One was speaking to the crowd! In fact, the king was able to climb onto the head via a secret stairca..

The mondop , cube-shaped pavilions made of brick and laterite, were inspired by Sri Lankan architecture and usually housed the most sacred objects (such as a Buddha statue or footprint). The ruins of the mondop of Wat Chetuphon have retained four ..

The Rama Khamhaeng National Museum enables visitors to grasp an understanding of the history of the first capital of Thailand, a symbol of the emergence of the Thai nation, its artistic importance and its influence. The remarkable collection of Budd..

A tall stucco Buddha and a beautiful view of the archaeological site of Sukhothai make the climb up the steep paved avenue to this temple well worth the effort. Wat Saphan Hin is a fine example of the many forest temples which grew up outside the roy..

Wat Chang Lom is easily recognisable by its Sri Lankan-style chedi , which is crowned by a spire graded into rings symbolising the 33 Buddhist heavens. An impressive frieze depicting a row of elephants , from which the temple takes its name (“surro..

Pillaged and sacked by antique hunters, Wat Traphang Thong Langa (2km from the main entrance) has lost almost all of the stucco bas-reliefs that once made this such a beautiful site. Fortunately, the mondop has retained a 14C work that is one of th..