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Sukhothai, meaning ‘the dawn of happiness,’ refers to a kingdom formed in the upper central region of Thailand in the 13th century. This was a time in the history of Southeast Asia during which the Thai people began to expand their power. Upon a basis of Theravada Buddhism delivered through Sri Lanka and the neighboring dynasty in Myanmar, the Sukhothai Kingdom established political stability and started construction on large-scale temples and a multitude of Buddha statues ― virtuous deeds undertaken to accumulate positive karma.

The Sukhothai era is commonly referred to as a cultural golden age of the Thai people on the Southeast Asian mainland. The Thai language, culture, and Thai porcelain were developed during this period, and Buddha statues from the time show the unique aesthetic sense of the Thai people was beginning to emerge as well. The walking Buddha image, which depicts the Buddha mid-stride with his right hand raised, was also created during the Sukhothai era and later became an important Theravada Buddhist icon.

The 1.54-meter-tall walking Buddha statue, completed in bronze, which is exhibited in Thailand’s Sawankha Woranayok National Museum, is typical of the Sukhothai era (Picture 1). Much of the statue has a static air, but the crossed legs below the knees create a sense of motion.

The dynamic aspects of the statue are more evident from the side. The Buddha’s face stands in contrast to the pulled back shoulders, providing a notion of forward movement and energy. In addition, the right heel is lifted slightly, which, in combination with the center of body mass being placed on the left leg, conveys a walking posture. From the right shoulder down to the lifted right heel, the body of the statue forms a large arch that emphasizes its curve and flexibility, a unique feature of this Thai style Buddha statue.

Walking Buddha statues created during the Sukhothai era also show early Thai aesthetic values and preferences (Picture 2). These preferences include oval-shaped faces, flames drawn on top of the ushnisha (the oval shape atop the Buddha’s head that resembles a topknot) representing Buddha’s wisdom and energy, thin and slim ears, and long and elegant hands resembling lotus buds. These became important features of Buddha statues in the eras following the Sukhothai Kingdom.

Robert Brown, an eminent art historian who studied the Buddhist art of the Southeast Asian mainland, explained additional unique features observable in the legs of Buddha statues created during the Sukhothai era: calves like those of gazelles, thighs as thick as banana trees, and inward knees (or ‘knock-kneed’ legs).

But why did the Thai people create these walking Buddha statues during the 14th century period of the Sukhothai era? A number of interpretations have been suggested based on what is written in Buddhist ures relaying various stories related to the Buddha’s life. However, the most commonly agreed upon opinion is that the statues were created to emphasize the meaning that the act of walking has in Buddhism. In particular, footprints of the Buddha are considered rare and precious even in today’s Thailand, treated as an icon of worship.

In this context, the fact that the image of the Buddha taking one step after another was expressed in a three-dimensional statue could represent the spread of Buddhism or perhaps the benevolence of the Buddha who descended from Heaven for the sake of mankind.

Delving more closely into historical observations also yields a different but logical explanation for the emergence of walking Buddha statues. In the 13th century, the Southeast Asian mainland experienced a series of civil wars for territorial expansion. The third Sukhothai king Ram Khamhaeng (r. 1279?-1298) had great military power that allowed him to rule over an area of territory as vast as modern-day Thailand. During this period of war, the Thai people sought refuge in Buddhism and the expansion of the religion was an important policy implemented by the royal family to rule over this large territory. Ram Khamhaeng personally held strong religious beliefs and, even throughout these wars, invited Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka to the royal palace to promote the spread of Buddhism.

The walking Buddha statues created under such circumstances could therefore be said to represent the Thai people’s desire to express the descended Buddha in the form of art, and also to effectively visualize the abstract implications of spreading Buddhism. Accordingly, the Thai people of the Sukhothai era may have sensed psychological comfort in gazing upon the Buddhist statues. Perhaps their underlying desire was to walk in the path of Buddhist precepts, in the same manner as the walking Buddha.