| Sukhothai : Visit Guide |  |
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Get in
By plane
Bangkok Airways now has a daily flight from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport, which then continues on to Lampang. Fares from/to Bangkok start from THB 1700 (1 hour 20 minutes), from/to Lampang - from THB 1100 (around 40 minutes).
By train
Take the (express) train (7 hours from Bangkok or Chiang Mai) to Phitsanulok and go by bus from there (1 hour).
By bus
Sukothai only has a small bus station, but the city can be easily reached from the North, South, East and West.
From Mae Sot : Minibuses run regularly from the station behind the market. The journey takes about 3 hours, passing through Tak on the way. 130 baht.
From Phitsanulok : Frequent buses operate from the main bus terminal and take about 1 hour for the 58 km trip.
From Bangkok : There are direct buses from Bangkok Mochit Terminal and takes 7 hours, including some stops at Bus Terminal of major cities on the way.
From Chiang Mai : Buses from the main bus terminal take about 4 hours. The cheaper local buses make many stops and take about 5 hours.
Get around
The best way to see the ruins in the Sukhotai National Historic Park is by bicycle. These can be rented from a shop opposite from the main park entrance.
The purple #1 songthaew travels to and from the bus station, which is about 3 km out of town. They run the length of Thanon Charodwithitong. The fare is 10 baht.
The large blue songthaew to Old Sukhothai leaves from a bus stop on Thanon Charodwithitong about 100 meters west of the bridge. It stops about 750 meters from the entrance to the central zone of the historic park. Fare: 20 baht. |
| Sukhothai : History | |
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Chiang Saen was established in the early 700s and Mueang Sua (Luang Prabang) around AD 728 making them the first kingdoms established by the Tai-speaking people in southeast Asia, prior to the migration and expansion of the Tai-speaking people into northern Thailand, Laos, and eventually into central Thailand and central Laos.
The city of Sukhotai was part of the Khmer empire until 1238, when two Thai chieftains, Pho Khun Pha Muang and Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao, declared their independence and established a Thai-ruled kingdom. Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao later became the first king of Sukhotai, calling himself Pho Khun Si Indrathit (or Intradit). This event traditionally marks the founding of the modern Thai nation, although other less well-known Thai kingdoms, such as Lanna, Phayao and Chiang Saen, were established around the same time.
Sukhotai expanded by forming alliances with the other Thai kingdoms, adopting Theravada Buddhism as the state religion with the help of Ceylonese monks. Intradit was succeeded by his son Pho Khun Ban Muang, who was followed in 1278 by his brother, Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng. Under King Ramkhamhaeng the Great, as he is now known, Suriyothai enjoyed a golden age of prosperity. Ramkhamhaeng is credited with designing the Thai alphabet (traditionally dated from 1283, on the evidence of the controversial Ramkhamhaeng stele, an inscribed stone allegedly bearing the earliest known Thai writing). At its peak, supposedly stretching from Martaban (now in Burma) to Luang Prabang (now in Laos) and down the Malay Peninsula as far south as Nakhon Sri Thammarat, the kingdom's sphere of influence was larger than that of modern Thailand, although the degree of control exercised over outlying areas was variable.
After Ramkhamhaeng's death, he was succeeded by his son Loethai. The vassal kingdoms, first Uttaradit in the north, then soon after the Laotian kingdoms of Luang Prabang and Vientiane (Wiangchan), liberated themselves from their overlord. In 1319 the Mon state to the west broke away, and in 1321 Lanna placed Tak, one of the oldest towns under the control of Suriyothai, under its control. To the south the powerful city of Suphanburi also broke free early in the reign of Loethai. Thus the kingdom was quickly reduced to its former local importance only. Meanwhile, Ayutthaya rose in strength, and finally in 1378 King Thammaracha II had to submit to this new power.
The Silajaruek Sukhotai are hundreds of stone inscriptions that form a historical record of the period. Among the most important inscriptions are Silajaruek Pho Khun Ramkamhaeng (Stone Inscription of King Ramkamhaeng), Silajaruek Wat Srichum (an account on history of the region itself and of Srilanka), and Silajaruek Wat Pamamuang (a Politico-Religious record of King Loethai).
Sukhotai became a tributary state of Ayutthaya between 1365 and 1378. In 1412 Ayutthaya installed a chief resident, and King Thammaracha IV was installed on the throne by Ayutthaya. Around 1430 Thammaracha moved his capital to Phitsanulok, and after his death in 1438 the kingdom was reduced in status to a mere province of Ayutthaya.
The Kings of Sukkhothai
- King Pho Khun Sri Indraditya (1249- 1257)
- King Pho Khun Ban Muang (1257 - 1277)
- King Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng (Ramkhamhaeng the Great) (ruled 1277 - 1298 or 1317) (called Rammaraj in the Ayutthaya chronicles)
- King Pu Saisongkhram: After Ramkhamheang's death, ruled temporarily in absence of Loethai who was on trip to China. He was not styled Pho Khun.
- King Pho Khun Loethai (1298 - 1347)
- King Pho Khun Nguanamthom (1347)
- King Phya Lithai or Thammaracha I (1347 - 1368/1374)
- King Thammaracha II or Phya Sai Leu Thai (1368/1374 - 1399)
- King Thammaracha III or Phya Sai Luthai (1399 - 1419)
- King Thammaracha IV (1419 - 1438)
From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhothai_Kingdom
Text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License |
