NHK World Heritage 100 Series

Narration Text

Sukhotai is 400km north of Bangkok. The Sukhotai Kingdom – founded in 1238 – was Thailand's first unified state and was strictly Buddhist. The Royal temple of Wat Mahathat is the largest – 10 metre high pillars are lined up around an image of Buddha. Walking Buddhas adorn the base of the central prang where the Buddha's ashes are said to have been stored. The carvings depict Buddha descending from the heavens and coming into contact with ordinary people, a form that appears in no other Buddhist monument.

Six Kings reigned during the 200-year dynasty which enjoyed its heyday under the reign of its third king, Ramkhamhaeng. A stone monument is inscribed in Thai Alphabet which the King himself invented. It depicts how the country prospered religiously, agriculturally and economically under his rule. A 17 metre high statue of Buddha appears at the end of a narrow corridor. The space for meditation surrounded by stone walls is the Wat Sri Chum. The Buddha is designed in a way that its eyes meet the eyes of the people standing below. A rectangular window has been carved into the wall beside the giant Buddha's head. The walls are 3 meters thick. As visitors proceed through the narrow passage, they can see the statue's face in profile. Legend has it that the king spoke to his people from here.

Sukhotai hosts the Loi Krathong festival each year. Lanterns in the shape of lotus flowers are floated down the river to please the great King Ramkhamhaeng. They float slowly across the water, just as they did 700 years ago.