Home » Images » 0005 Pictures From History » CPA0002226

Thailand: Bell shaped chedi, Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park

Wat Mahathat was founded in the 13th century by King Intharathit (c. 1240-70) and rebuilt in the 14th century. It was the spiritual heart of the Sukhothai Kingdom.

Sukhothai, which literally means 'Dawn of Happiness', was the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom and was founded in 1238. It was the capital of the Thai Empire for approximately 140 years.

The Siamese, or Thais, moved from their ancestral home in southern China into mainland Southeast Asia around the 10th century CE. Prior to this, Indianized kingdoms such as the Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms ruled the region. The Thais established their own states starting with Sukhothai, Chiang Saen, Chiang Mai and Lanna Kingdom, before the founding of the Ayutthaya kingdom. These states fought each other and were under constant threat from the Khmers, Burma and Vietnam.

Much later, the European colonial powers threatened in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but Thailand survived as the only Southeast Asian state to avoid colonial rule. After the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand endured 60 years of almost permanent military rule before the establishment of a democratic elected-government system.