Despite all the nasty things I’ve said about the Thais disregard for
their own history, the National Monument at Sukhotai is full of Thai
tourists. There are a few places like this, such as Ayuthaya and each
one represents one or another of the Golden Ages of Thai history. The
name Ayuthaya has come to represent a whole style of Thai Buddhist art,
for example and is deeply respected by the Thais as an intricate part
of their culture and heritage.
Much is the same with Sukhotai. Another Golden Age; and it is a pleasure
to walk through the ruins and admire the ancient Buddha’s. The place
is huge, since it used to be an Imperial City, with temples inside the
site and outside the site. Pieces of brickwork crumble, alabaster bas-relief
work has long gone the way of all flesh. And yet through it all there
is a sense of greatness, of dignity. Walking through the ruins of Sukhotai
you have the feeling that you are touching something which is at the
base of Thai history; that you are in a time out of time, a time before
there was time. In fact, even the name Sukhotai brings you back to something
shining and ancient since it means, ‘The Dawn of Joy’.
It is therefor with a certain amount of shock that you discover that
these ruins date to the 14th Century. The European mind staggers.
How is it possible that the Golden Age, the Dawn of Joy, the Camelot
of Siamese history has been left to rot and whither for six centuries
and abandoned to such a state? Notre Dame de Paris is older than that,
as are most of the mosques in the Islamic world. The Western Wall in
Jerusalem looks brand new in comparison despite foreign occupations
without number. Every French village and town has churches which are
older and are still functioning.
And yet Sukhotai looks abandoned and sorrowful like the Biblical imagery
in the Book of Lamentation. An occasional garland of jasmine hangs on
a statue of Buddha, spent incense sticks bear witness to a cult. But
the place is basically dead, buried, gone.
Still, the echo is there and it is majestic. There was a strange building
tradition in vogue at Sukhotai and this tradition still brings the heart
of a grinding halt whenever you are faced with it: giant statues of
Buddha, standing or sitting, were encased in large brick walls with
only a narrow Gothic opening. As you approach them you can barely suspect
what is hidden behind the brickwork. The effect is the same as when
you walk down the Siq at Petra and get your first glimpse at the Treasury.
It is overwhelming, dramatic and inspiring.
Mair and Marie-Do
Photo galery 