Wat Traphang Ngoen, situated on a small island surrounded by an artificial lake not far from Wat Mahathat, comprised a main chedi or stupa, an ordination hall, and an assembly hall.

The ruins of Wat Traphang Ngoen's assembly hall and main chedi

The temple's chedi is unique in having four niches below the typical Sukhothai-style lotus-bud relic chamber and finial. Each niche was designed to hold a standing Buddha image.

Wat Traphang Ngoen's principal Buddha image sits in bhumisparsa mudra: the Victory over Mara or Calling the Earth to Witness pose.

Wat Traphang Ngoen

Wat Traphang Ngoen

Nearby is Wat Sa Si, also situated on an island surrounded by an artificial lake.

The temple is reached via this bridge.

A large Sinhalese-style chedi was Wat Sa Si's principal stupa. A smaller one with four niches would have housed four standing Buddha images.

The ruins of the assembly hall and the principal chedi or stupa at Wat Sa Si

Looking across the raised platform that was the base of the ubosot, or ordination hall, towards the viharn, or assembly hall, and the main stupa at Wat Sa Si

Wat Sa Si's principal Buddha image, among the ruins of the assembly hall

Wat Sa Si’s is an especially fi􀈹ne example of the characteristic Sukhothai Walking Buddha, particularly in the graceful and dynamic sweep and fl􀉐ow of its lines.

Also within Sukhothai's walled city, Wat Sorasak dates from sometime around the beginning of the 15th century.

The elephants surrounding the base of the main stupa at Wat Sorasak are a feature borrowed from stupas on Sri Lanka.

The remains of the 'chedi' at Wat Sorasak

Wat Si Sawai, a Khmer-style temple thought to have been built in the 13th century, before the founding of the city of Sukhothai, lies just to the southwest of Wat Mahathat. It would have served originally as a Brahmin place of worship.

Sacred fig tree just outside the wall surrounding Wat Si Sawai. Among its roots are a number of merit-making offerings, many in the form of miniature Buddha images.

Wat Si Sawai's three closely-set towers may have been rebuilt during the later Sukhothai period, when the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhist use. At that point they would have been reinterpreted as symbolizing the Triple Gem of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha.

Looking through the ruins of Wat Si Sawai's assembly hall towards the inner courtyard

Wat Si Sawai

Some of the decorative ornamentation on the towers at Wat Si Sawai featuring figures from Hindu tradition

Wat Si Sawai from the west

Wat Si Chum, lying to the northwest of Sukhothai’s ancient walled central section, is the site of a 50-foot-high open mondop that encloses an enormous Buddha Subduing Mara, dating from the late 13th century.

The Buddha at Wat Si Chum

Outside the ancient walled center of Sukhothai and about one mile north of Wat Mahathat are the remains of Wat Phra Phai Luang, religious center of a city built in the late 12th or early 13th century by Khmer king Jayavarman VII.

Decorations carved in stucco that adorn the only tower still standing at Wat Phra Phai Luang demonstrate an extremely high level of skill.

At one time Wat Phra Phai Luang rivaled Wat Mahathat in importance. Today, only one of its three original towers still remains, on a raised platform that also supports the ruins of an assembly hall and small chedi.

View of the temple grounds from the west

Wat Phra Phai Luang

Wat Phra Phai Luang

This mondop at Wat Traphang Thong Lang is the only structure still standing. The arched opening in the east wall provided access to the interior, which once housed an enormous Buddha image.

The other three exterior walls of the mondop at Wat Traphang Thong Lang contained exquisite relief carvings depicting episodes from the life of the Buddha.

Though now in a great state of deterioration, what remains of the relief carvings at Wat Traphang Thong Lang indicates a high level of artistic skill went into their creation.

Wat Saphan Hin is believed to be the temple that the great Sukhothai king Ramkhamhaeng, riding atop a white elephant, visited on Buddhist holy days to pay his respects to the 41-foot-tall Buddha in abhaya mudra still standing among the ruins of the viharn, or assembly hall.

Sited atop a hill, Saphan Hin is reached via a rather steep 300-yard-plus climb over a rough stone causeway, offering commanding views of the surrounding countryside from the top.