Sukhothai

The ancient Thai capital of Sukhothai, a name meaning dawn of happiness, was founded in the 13th century and became the kingdom's first capital -- existing between the years of 1238 and 1438. During that time, the Sukhothai Dynasty saw nine Kings reign, the best known of whom was the third, King Ramkhamhaeng, who has been credited with both the creation of the modern-day Thai alphabet and the introduction of Theravada Buddhism to Thailand.

At its apex, the Sukhothai Kingdom stretched over much of modern-day Thailand (excepting the northeast, which remained under the control of the Khmers). The territory was gained both by military campaigns as well as diplomacy -- the latter of which King Ramkhamhaeng was seen to be a master of. This period is seen as a Thai golden age where the Thai arts and culture prospered under the reign of a series of benevolent rulers. Trade flourished, and, in a step that had important ramifications in Thailand's future development, trading relations with China opened.

Gradual decline began following King Ramkhamhaeng's death -- he was succeeded by his son, Lo Thai, a leader considered to have been ineffectual and who oversaw significant territorial losses. By the sixth reign, King Thammaracha I, Sukhothai was in a state of decline. In the year 1438, less than a century after King Ramkhamhaeng's death, the Sukhothai Empire was incorporated into the new rising star -- Ayutthaya.

Today, the same-named provincial capital has two distinct centres: New Sukhothai is a typical, modern Thai-style city home to virtually nothing of interest except some excellent guesthouses, while Old Sukhothai lies 12 km to the west and is where all the ruins of the original capital can be found. Nearly all travellers stay in New Sukhothai, though there is accommodation closer to the old city if you want to stay nearby.

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Sukhothai reviews

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Better than Ayutthaya
By beachgirl (dabbler - 3 reviews)
Written on 8th May, 2009 after a visit to Sukhothai in February, 2008
I spent a couple of days in Sukhothai two years ago and really enjoyed it. I think a lot of people toss up between Ayutthaya and Sukhothai and as we couldn't decide between the two we went to both. I'll write a separate report for Ayutthaya, but briefly, while I liked the town there, because the ruins are all intermingled with a living town it's a bit chaotic and it doesn't matter where you are you can always hear a screeching tuktuk of motorbike. It also seemed a lot more polluted than Sukhothai.

In Sukhothai, it's different. As is says above in the Travelfish write-up, the ruins are not in the main town but rather a 15-30 minute songtheaw ride away, all set in a large, peaceful park. While this means the whole site is a bit more manicured than Ayutthaya, it actually works really well as you can walk around, or cycle (as we did, you can hire pushbikes from just outside) totally undisturbed by traffic and whatnot.

The ruins are lovely. There's one massive sitting Buddha that is sort of inside a big box with a slot - I know, difficult to visualise, but you'll know it when you see it - and we just loved it. The hand that is reaching down to touch the ground has these incredibly long fingers and fingernails, I think we must have taken 100 photos!

In two days we went to the park twice. Once on the first afternoon and then again on the following morning. If I was to go again and only had time for one visit I'd go in the morning. We talked to others later in our trip who went in the middle of the day and really didn't enjoy it because of the heat.

Lastly, on the main Sukhothai town (where everyone stays) it's a fun place with lots of cheap guesthouses and had a pretty good ''scene'' for lack of a better word.

I'd definitely go again, and if I had to choose between here and Ayutthaya, I'd go with here.

Sights & activities   History & culture   Scenery & environment   Eat & drink

Traveller's scene   Romance   Value for money   I'll be back (or not)

Also reviewed by beachgirl: Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi,

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