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ASEAN Heritage

The Dawn of Happiness: The Historic Town of Sukhothai

Edited by Korean National Commission for UNESCO

Thailand’s first independent kingdom was the Sukhothai Kingdom, which was founded in the 13th century. The Sukhothai Kingdom’s golden era occurred during the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng, also called Ramkhamhaeng the Great (r. 1279 – 1298), when its territory was similar in scale to Thailand’s land mass today. It was during the Sukhothai era that Theravada Buddhism was adopted as state religion—it subsequently became the foundation for royal authority—and the Thai alphabet was created. One can thus say that the Sukhothai Kingdom laid the foundations for Thai civilization and its remarkable culture. 

   The “Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns” are the most famous preserved sites of the Sukhothai Kingdom. The area comprises the major cities that were ruled by King Ramkhamhaeng: the capital city, Sukhothai; Si Satchanlai, where the royal family resided; and Kamphaeng Pet, a strategic stronghold at the kingdom’s southern frontier used to protect the kingdom from foreign intruders and to safeguard the kingdom’s extensive trading network. Most of the buildings are made of brick covered with carved stucco and borrow architectural aspects of Sinhalese and Khmer architecture. The Sukhothai architectural style, which skillfully combines multiple cultural influences, also bears traces of Buddhist art and Sri Lankan architecture. 

    The largest Buddhist temple in the Historic Town of Sukhothai is Wat Mahathat, or Temple of the Great Relic, which includes a temple building and a cemetery that was used by the royal family. It features 198 pagodas, 10 Buddhist shrines, and many beautiful Buddha and elephant statues. All Buddha statues at Wat Mahathat, which have smiling, oval faces, have three features that reflect early Sukhothai influences: a long and thin nose; an ushnisha, a protrusion that rises up from the head with a flame-like shape; and two wrinkles around the lips. Along with these features, the Buddha statues’ long and elegant fingers are part of the reason why they are regarded as some of the most beautiful in the world. 

   In 1991, the Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, this group of cities, covering an area of 118.5 km²) remains a testament to the splendor of the Sukhothai Kingdom, and one can visit historical parks at each of the three former cities. Located a dozen kilometers or so from any urban center, Sukhothai Historical Park allows visitors to experience the Thailand of the past and the present. Every year, the park is sought out by thousands of tourists and locals as a place to see ancient artifacts, take walks around the ruins, and stop in front of Buddha statues to pay one’s respects. Sukhothai means “the dawn of happiness.” As its name suggests, the Historic Town of Sukhothai, which is a rising light and a starting point in Thai history, is entering its dawn today.