Following Ramkhamhaeng’s death in 1298, the power that Sukhothai had enjoyed declined rapidly. By 1320 the kingdom had become a minor state; by 1378 its status was further reduced to that of a vassal to Ayutthaya. Its splendor might have been largely forgotten had it not been for Rama I, who In founding the Chakri dynasty in 1792 sought to bolster his own royal pretensions by importing hundreds of images from Sukhothai for the temples and other projects he was building in Bangkok, many modeled after Sukhothai prototypes. Nonetheless, by 1977 Sukhothai’s monuments were all but lost to encroaching jungle, when a 16-year effort was begun to restore them. Today, Sukhothai is a UNESCO historical site.

Sukhothai : Wat Mahathat 2

The temple complex is set within a surrounding moat. Drawing on ancient Khmer/Hindu temple tradition, the water symbolizes the cosmic ocean on which the universe rests.
This Sukhothai-style Buddha greets visitors today among the ruins of Wat Mahathat's main viharn, or assembly hall.
Despite its aged condition, the Buddha's visage is remarkably engaging.
The central sanctuary is seen in the background here. The smaller chedi, or stupas, encircling the central tower symbolize the mountain ranges surrounding Mt. Meru, home of the gods and axis of the universe in Hindu cosmology, represented here by the central tower.
The laterite columns and the platforms they stand on are all that remain of Wat Mahathat's two assembly halls. In the background is the temple's central sanctuary.
The pediment of the stupa directly in front of the central tower contains this scene from the birth of the Buddha. The Buddha's mother, accompanied by attendants, clings to the branch of a tree as she, standing, gives birth.
Around the base of the central tower worshippers circumambulate in walking meditation.
To either side of the central sanctuary a very large Buddha figure stands within an open enclosure called a mondop.
This standing Buddha is in abhaya mudra, a gesture of calming or reassurance.
Nearby, this Buddha image is seated in dhyana mudra, a pose indicative of meditation.
Another look at the Buddha that dominates the view as one approaches the temple from the eastern entryway. The bhumisparsa mudra, known in English as 'Calling the Earth to Witness' or the 'Victory over Mara' mudra, symbolizes the moment of the Buddha's enlightenment, when all earthly delusions and desires fell away.
The central sanctuary as viewed from the west
The seated and standing Buddha images to one side of the central sanctuary
The Buddha image in the background here sits within the ruins of an ubosot, or ordination hall, just to the north of the central sanctuary.
The lotus-bud-shaped relic chamber that sits above the shaft of the central tower and fuses with the tapered finial above it is a distinctive Sukhothai design motif.
The central sanctuary from the west, in late-afternoon sun
A portion of the moat surrounding the temple
The central sanctuary at night

jim wageman | photos i am

Sukhothai : Wat Mahathat 2