Si Satchanalai Historical Park อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ศรีสัชนาลัย

Si Satchanalai Historical Park (23 December, 2002)

Si Satchanalai Historical Park (GPS: 17.431772, 99.786276; Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ศรีสัชนาลัย

) is a historical park that preserves the ruins of the ancient sites of Si Satchanalai and Chalieng, in Sukhothai Province, Thailand. The park is located beside the Yom River, about 55 kilomters from Sukhothai Historical Park. It covers 45.14 square kilomters and comprises four areas: the Inner City of Si Satchanalai, the western part of Si Satchanalai, the northern part, where the ancient ceramic kilns are located, and the Chalieng district.

The name Si Satchanalai means City of Good People. Before the founding of the Sukhothai Kingdom, the area was called Chalieng, but today that name Chalieng refers to only to the area in the bow of the Yom River. After Sukhothai was founded, Si Satchanalai became a city state, with its own city pillar shrine. It is a sister site to Sukhothai, and in the 13th and 14th centuries, was government by the Crown Prince.

Due to the close relationship between Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai, I discover that the temple ruins at Si Satchanalai are pretty much similar to that of Sukhothai in terms of architectural style. As the the layout, Si Satchanalai is roughly rectangular. There is possibly a moat around it, with the northeastern side being the Yom River. Today, the moat is dry and overgrown with vegetation.

A modern road encircles the Inner City of Si Satchanalai. Much of the medieval wall that surrounds Si Satchanalai is still there, and is punctuated with gates, such as Tao Moh Gate (GPS: 17.43793, 99.78659)

in the north side. While the main section is relatively flat, the terrain of the surroundings is undulating, and so that medieval wall also follows the contours of the terrain. None of the gates can compare to those at Angkor Thom.