Wat Phra Phai Luang

Of the three Khmer-style prangs that once defined Wat Phra Phai Luang, only one remains largely intact — the northern tower, whose stucco reliefs still show the Buddha in the earth-touching mudra flanked by rows of kneeling devotees. The other two have collapsed to their bases, leaving the surviving prang as the centrepiece of a complex that is otherwise a landscape of weathered laterite foundations and partial walls.

The temple sits in the northern zone of Sukhothai Historical Park, outside the old city walls and surrounded by a moat. It was built in the late 12th century under the Khmer king Jayavarman VII, beginning as a Hindu shrine — one of the oldest structures in the Sukhothai region, predating the Thai kingdom itself. When Sukhothai rose as a power in the 13th century, the complex was converted to Theravada Buddhism and its Khmer roots were overlaid with new construction.

The most significant later addition is a brick mondop that held large stucco Buddha images in the four canonical postures — walking, standing, sitting and reclining. The standing figure is in reasonable condition and the walking posture is still legible; the other two have largely dissolved into the brickwork. A separate viharn, chedi and ordination hall fill out the grounds, their ruined profiles best read from the raised base of the intact prang.

In scale and historical importance, Wat Phra Phai Luang ranked second only to Wat Mahathat during the Sukhothai period, a status the UNESCO World Heritage listing recognises.

Entry to the northern zone costs 100 THB for foreign visitors (20 THB for Thais), paid at the zone ticket booth — cash only. The zone opens at 06:30 and closes at 19:30 daily. Bicycles hired in the main park reach the temple in under 15 minutes along a flat road, and early morning light catches the stucco on the surviving prang at its best angle.