Travellings of Love: A daytrip to Sukhothai

"For all the desolate, miserable, god-forsaken places on this earth, Sukhothai must surely be the worst." So wrote Reginald Campbell in Teak Wallah, an account of his time as a forestry official in Northern Thailand in the 1920s.
Perhaps Sukhothai, 450 kilometers north of Bangkok, is not one of Thailand’s most inspiring towns, but just 12 kilometers away are the magnificent ruins of the Kingdom’s first capital, from which the modern town takes its name: Sukhothai.
Campbell may have had a blind spot for the history and culture of his host country, however his complete silence on the historical remains of Sukhothai is indicative of the neglect of the ancient site, so nearby, suffered until recently.

In Campbell’s day the ruins were likely all but obscured by jungle. Today’s traveller is more fortunate. Following the completion in 1988 of a decade-long UNESCO restoration project and subsequent designation as a World Heritage Site, Sukhothai now beckons as a fascinating historical park. Full former glory of Sukhothai is beyond retrieval, but the ruins that remain mark the cultural centre of Thailand and offer a superb insight into the early flowering of Thai civilization.

Precisely 101 years ago, Crown Prince Maha Vajiravudh, later Rama VI, made a historic eight-day visit to Sukhothai during a three-month journey in the north of the country. Noted for his nationalism – the Kingdom’s flag, its modern education system and even the modern idea of a Thai nation are all a result of his reign – the Crown Prince’s 1907 journey served to underscore Sukhothai’s influence on the nation’s development.

Major Monuments and Temples

Within the confines of the ancient city’s ramparts are more than 20 major monuments, while numerous other sights are scattered throughout the 70 square kilometer park. The Sukhothai ruins have been restored and stand amid manicured lawns and ornamental ponds themselves set off by a distant background of wooded hills.

Originally an outpost of the Khmer empire centered on Angkor in Cambodia, Sukhothai achieved independence in the first half ot eh 13th century when two Thai chieftains rallied their formerly disunited followers and established what was the first sovereign Thai state in Sukhothai. With the influence of both Pagan to the west and Angkor to the east declining at the same time, Sukhothai was well poised to become not only the capital of a new kingdom but also a regional political and cultural hub of the first order.

History of Sukhothai

As the undisputed power base of the new Thai nation, Sukhothai reigned supreme for only 140 years. In 1378 it became a vassal of up-and-coming Ayutthaya to the south and only 60 years later it was totally absorbed by the younger Thai nation. By the end of the 15th century, Sukhothai was abandoned. Yet in that brief time it established religious, cultural and political patters that continue to influence the nation. The history of Sukhothai in the Khmer period is still not fully understood. Khmer architectural touches are readily discernable in the ruins of the few Sukhothai temples, notably the earliest parts of Wat Sri Sawai and Wat Phra Pai Luang, but it is unclear whether the site was a fully fledged Khmer settlement or merely a military stronghold But whatever they did inherit from the Khmers, it is obvious that the Thais wasted little time in constructing their own capital on a scale and in a style befitting the birth of a nation called Sukhothai.

During the reign of King Ramkamhaeng, between 1279 and 1299, Sukhothai experienced its golden age. Under this monarch’s masterful leadership the kingdom was consolidated, politically throughout territorial gains and culturally through the adoption, from Sri Lanka of Theravada Buddhism.

It was Theravada Buddhism that served, as it still does, as the principal cohesive force in the Thai state. The Sri Lankan school of Buddhism had an enormous impact on art and architecture, its influence distinguishing the Sukhothai achievement above all else. This is most evident in the Buddha images, cast according to descriptions in Pali scriptures, in the details of line engraving, in decorative stucco work and most importantly, in the bell-shaped Chedi.

Although Sukhothai’s political and social organization was perfected under King Ramkamhaeng, the art and architecture of the city did not reach their apogee until around the middle of the 14th century. At that time, during the reign of King Lithai, a man noted both for his religious conviction and his scholarship, Theravada Buddhism was greatly strengthened through the Kingdom’s direct links with Sri Lanka. Previously, the faith had arrived indirectly via monks from Nakhon Sri Thammarat in Southern Thailand. The result was building of Chedis and other religious structures at both an accelerated and more refined pace.

The so-called lotus-bud Chedi, characterized by a bulbous dome at the top of the spire and unique to Sukhothai architecture, then made its appearance. The construction of Sri Lankan bell shaped Chedis Sukhothai also became more widespread, replacing the pyramid and round tower of the old Khmer style, while incorporating Singhalese stylistic influences in stucco decoration and line engraving. This is also the period, most historians agree, that the art of bronze-cast Buddha images reached perfection.
On the national timescale, Sukhothai’s glory was short-lived. Yet its brief passage does not truly reflect Sukhothai’s enormous contribution to the nationhood of the Thai people. In virtually all fields of human activity – political, religious, civic and cultural – Sukhothai established traditions that, despite later adaptations and development, are still discernible in the modern, present-day society.

The most vivid example of this influence is the Thai concept of monarchy, which originated in Sukhothai. The regional forerunners were more akin to the god-kings of nearby Angkor, but the Thai model, while similarly providing absolute power, made royalty more accessible, more paternal, than it had been under the Khmer. Such an ideal and practice of monarchy has served to bind and guide the nation throughout subsequent centuries, which in turn has helped to preserve a remarkable historical continuity.