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Sukhothai (13th - 15th Centuries)

Tag: Thailand, Phuket History, Thailand History, Sukhothai (13th - 15th Centuries)

The stale that is still regarded by Thai historical tradition as the "first Thai kingdom" was Sukhothai. There were in lad, other contemporaneous Thai states such as Lanna and Phayao, both in present-day northern Thailand, but the Thai historical imagination has been most stirred by Sukhothai. Even today, the evocative ruins of Sukhothai and its twin city Si Saichanalai conjure up images of material prosperity, artistic greatness, and Buddhist piety. Indeed. Sukhothai is remembered as much for its art and archiiecmre as for its political achievements.

King Ramkhamhaeng´s famous stone inscription, for the first time written in Thai, survived intact through the centuries, and was discovered in Sukhothai by King Mongkut during his monkhood

Sukhothai was originally a chief do in under the sway of the Khmer empire; the oldest monuments in the city were built in the Khmer style or else show clear Khmer in Hucnce. During the first half of the 13th century the Thai rulers of Sukhothai threw off the Khmer yoke and set up an independent Thai kingdom. One of the victorious Thai chieftains becume the first king of Sukhothai. with the name of Si Intharathit (Sri Imdraditya). Sukhothai´s power and influence expanded in all directions through conquest (the: Khmer were driven southwards), by a far-sighted network of marriage alliances with the ruling families of other Thai states. unil by the use of a common religion, Theravada Buddhism, to cement relations with other states.

Ruins of Sukhothai show Khmer architecture influence

Si Intharathit´s son and successor was King Ramkhamhaeng, undoubtedly the most famous and dynamic monarch ever to rule the Sukhothai kingdom. Much of what we know about Sukhothai in the 13th century derives from a 1292 stone inscription attributed to King Ramkhamhaeng. Though problematic, the inscription is considered a seminal source of Sukhothai history, as well as a masterpiece of Thai lileraiure. It eloquently extols the benevolence of King Ramkhamhaeng´s rule, the power and prosperity of Sukhothai. The king was accessible to his people; for example, he had a bell hung in front of the palace gale so that any subject with a grievance could ring it and ask for justice: "King Ramkhamhaeng, the ruler of the kingdom, hears the call; he goes and questions the man, examines the cases and decides it justly for him. So the people of Sukhothai praise him."

King Ramkhamhaeng the Great, most famous ruler of Sukhothai

According to the inscription, the king did nol levy road tolls or taxes on merchandise, nor did he tax his subjects" inheritance at all. Such a paternalistic and benevolent style of kingship has caused posterity to regard the Sukhothai kingdom´s heyday as a "golden age" in Thai history.

Temples in the first Thai capital of Sukhothai are now past of an historical park

Even allowing for some hyperbole in King Ramkhamhaeng´s inscription, it is probably true that Sukhothai was prosperous and well-governed. Its economy was self-sufficient, small-scale, and agricultural. The Thai people´s basic diet was the same as that of many other people in Southeast Asia. consisting of rice and fish as staple foods, both of which were plentiful according to the inscription: "In the time of King Ramkhamhacng this land of Sukhothai is thriving. There are fish in the water and rice in the fields."

Temples in the first Thai capital of Sukhothai are now past of an historical park

Sukhothai may well have been self-sufficient as far as food was concerned, but its prosperity also depended on commerce. During the Sukhothai period glazed ceramic wares known as "sanigkhalok" were produced in great quantities at kilns in Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai and exported regularly to other countries in the South China Sea area, specimens having been found in Indonesia and the Philippines. Sukhothai also traded with China through the traditional Chinese tributary system: the Thai king was content to send tribute to the Chinese emperor and he classified as a vassal, in return for permission to sell Thai goods and buy Chinese products.

Sukhothai, where many distinctive aspects of Thai culture originated

Although animi.slic beliefs remained potent in Sukhothai, King Ramkhamhaeng and his successors were all devout Buddhist rulers who made merit on a large scale. The major cities of the kingdom were therefore full of monasteries, many of which were splendid examples of Thai Buddhist architecture. Sukhothai adopted the Ceylonese school of Theravada Buddhism, beginning with King Ramkhamhaeng´s invitation to Ceylonese monks to come and purify Buddhism in his kingdom. The Ceylonese influence manifested itself not only in matters of doctrine but also in religious architecture. The bell-shaped stupa. so familiar in Thai Buddhist architecture, was derived from Ceylonese models. Sukhothai-stye Buddha images are distinctive for their elegance and stylized beauty, and Sukhothai artists introduced the graceful form of the "walking Buddha" into Buddhist sculpture.

Sukhothai Historical Park, now a World Heritage Site

Sukhothai´s cultural importance in Thai history also derives from the fact thai the Thai script evolved into a definite form during King Ramkhamhaeng´s time. taking as its models the ancient Mon and Khmer scripts. Indeed, this remarkable king is credited with having invented the Thai script.

King Si Intharathit and King Ramkhamhaeng were boih warrior kings and extended their territories far and wide. Their successors, however, could not maintain such a far-flung empire. Some of these later kings were more remarkable for their religious piety and extensive building activities than for their warlike exploits. An example of this type of Buddhist ruler was King Mahathammaracha Lithai, believed to have been the compiler of the Tribhumikatha, an early Thai book on the Buddhist universe or cosmos. The political decline of Sukhothai was, however, not wholly due lo deficiencies in leadership. It resulted rather from the emergence of strong Thai states further south, whose political and economic power began to challenge Sukhothai during the latier half of the 14th century. These southern states, especially Ayutthaya, were able to deny Sukhothai access to the area.

Standing Sukhothai-style Buddha image

The Sukhothai kingdom did not die a quick death. Its decline lasted from the mid-14th until the 15thentury. In 1378, the Ayutthaya King Borommaracha I subdued Sukhoihai´s frontier city of Chakangray (Kamphaengphet), and thereafter Sukhothai became a tributary stale of Ayutthaya. Sukhoihai attempted lo break loose from Ayutthaya but with no real success; in the 15th century it was incorporated into the Ayutthaya kingdom as a province. The focus of Thai history and politics now moved to the central plains of present-day Thailand. where Ayutthaya was establishing ilself as a centralized stale, its power outstripping not only Sukhothai but also other neighbouring states such as Suphannaphum and Lawo (Lopburi).

source: us.geocities.com

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