| Sukhothai | |
| Native Name: | สุโขทัย |
| Native Name Lang: | Thai |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Area Total Km2: | 6596 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 2547 |
| Area Total Ha: | 659600 |
| Area Total Acre: | 1629907 |
| Area Total Dunam: | 6596000 |
| Population Total: | 35,713 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
Sukhothai (th|สุโขทัย, pronounced as /th/) was the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom (also known as the Kingdom of Siam).[1] Sukhothai is 12 km west of the modern city of Sukhothai Thani.[2]
Sukhothai is from Sanskrit sukha (सुख "happiness") + udaya (उदय "rise, emergence"), meaning "dawn of happiness". Founded in 1238, it is about 427 km north of Bangkok.[3] Sukhothai was the capital of the Thai Empire for approximately 140 years. As of 2014, 193 temples have been excavated and partly reconstructed.[4] [5]
The stele of Ram Khamhaeng states the city had a triple wall and four gates.[6] At its center was a pond, a "marvelous pond of clear and delicious water like the water of the Mekong in the dry season."[7] The Aranyika monastery was west of the city, a great lake to the east, a market to the north, and the Khao Luang hill to the south.[8]
Old Sukhothai is a small town with nearly no hotels. Most visitors stay in New Sukhothai.[9] [10]
Sukhothai occupies an area of 6,596 km2.[11] The historic town of Sukhothai and related areas were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.[12]
. George Coedès. Walter F. Vella. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. 1968. University of Hawaii Press. 978-0-8248-0368-1.