Sukhothai, the capital before Ayuthaya

In many ways the temples and grounds here in Sukhothai are more impressive than those in Ayuthaya. Before Bangkok was the capital, before Ayuthaya was the capital, Sukhothai was the capital. The King Ramkhamhaeng (1300's)who made this his capital, invented the written Thai alphabet, chose Buddhism as the state religion, and chose diplomacy over war as the policy with neighbors. Many of the temples here reflected how good life was for the Thais during this era.

People were worshiping and school children were visiting at many of these sites today as well. This UNESCO historical site has Buddha figures with finer elongated features which are different than most buddhas. They seem to have a more gentle demeanor and lend a more low key atmosphere to the environment. Peaceful. The Buddha in the last pictures is 50 feet tall!

The smoking mound under the straw roof is a pottery kiln, similar to the kind that made Sukhothai's pottery industry prosperous.

Today the temperature reached 100 Degrees but the majority of the Sukothai Historical site is within one area and we rented bicycles to tour around from site to site. The grounds are perfectly flat and quite shaded so we could easily bike around and enjoy the breeze.

By noon, almost all of the tourists had left this quiet and peaceful site so we could really sort of engage with the sacred atmosphere. Sukothai is one of those places where you can sense the presence of the ancients. What a treat after the chaos of Ayutthaya.