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| 0241 Sukhothai Historical Park - Wat Mahathat |
Posted on 08.06.2012, 18.01.2017
The golden age of an empire contains the seed of his downfall, and the Khmer Empire wasn't a exception. During the reign of Jayavarman VII (1181-1219), the empire reached its maximum expansion (its territory covering the current Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, southern Vietnam - Champa, and part of Malaysia), but also a cultural and spiritual peak. His successor, Indravarman II (r 1219-1243), completed some temples, but as warrior he was less successful, withdrawing from many of the provinces of Champa, and in the west being pushed back by the Thais rebels, who established the Kingdom at Sukhothai.
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| 0241 Sukhothai Historical Park - Buddha image in the ruins of the ordination hall of Wat Mahathat |
Thais (free men), known then as Siameses, weren't natives of the region, but they came from the north, maybe from the Chinese Province of Guangxi, and assimilated many elements of classical indianized civilizations of the Southeast Asia. The Sukhothai Kingdom, located in north central Thailand, existed from 1238 till 1438, and had the capital to Sukhothai, now at 12km outside of New Sukhothai, about 427 km north of Bangkok. The modern national Thai history comprises the history of this kingdom, Sukhothai being considered the first national capital, followed by Ayutthaya, Thonburi until Rattanakosin or today Bangkok.
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