Thailand Guide
The central plains
Wat Phra Phai Luang
Opening time: Daily 6am–6pm
Price: B100 includes entry to the rest of the north zone
Address: North zone, Sukhothai Historical Park; 12km west of New Sukhothai
Wat Phra Phai Luang is one of the ancient city's oldest structures. The three towers, only one of which remains intact, were built by the Khmers before the Thais founded their own kingdom here and you can still see some of the stucco reliefs showing both Hindu and Buddhist figures. Others are displayed in Ramkhamhaeng National Museum. It's thought that Wat Phra Phai Luang was at the centre of the old Khmer town and that it was as important then as Wat Mahathat later became to the Thais. When the shrine was converted into a Buddhist temple, the assembly hall and stupa were built to the east of the towers: the reliefs of the (now headless and armless) seated Buddhas are still visible around the base of the stupa. Also discernible among the ruins are parts of a large reclining Buddha and a structure containing four huge standing Buddhas in different postures.