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"This
Muang Sukhothai is good.
In
the water, there is fish.
In
the fields, there is rice"
King Ramkhamhaeng
stone inscription,
1292
Sukhothai
was the northernmost citadel of the mighty Khmer empire and had flourished
for centuries before the Thais began emigrating from the north in huge
numbers. During the first half of the thirteenth century, a Thai chieftain
later known as Sri Intaradit united various groups, overthrew their Khmer
overlord and founded the first independent Thai kingdom, the Kingdom of
Sukhothai. Under the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng, Sukhothai reached
the zenith of its power. It was then that Sukhothai produced some of the
finest art and architecture. Drawing from a variety of cultures, mostly
Sinhalese, Indian, Khmer and Mon, Sukhothai artisans created superb temples,
Buddha images and ceramics that were also distinctively Thai and are the
finest examples of Thailand's cultural heritage. Sukhothai's power lasted
for less than two centuries before it became a vassal of Ayutthaya.
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