Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [338]
The nearby towns of Ban Hat Siaw ( Click here) and Sawankhalok ( Click here) are the main supply centres for the area.
WAT CHANG LOM
This fine temple, marking the centre of the old city of Si Satchanalai, has elephants surrounding a bell-shaped chedi that is somewhat better preserved than its counterpart in Sukhothai. An inscription says the temple was built by King Ramkhamhaeng between 1285 and 1291.
WAT KHAO PHANOM PHLOENG
On the hill overlooking Wat Chang Lom to the right are the remains of Wat Khao Phanom Phloeng, including a chedi, a large seated Buddha and stone columns that once supported the roof of the wí·hhn. From this hill you can make out the general design of the once-great city. The slightly higher hill west of Phanom Phloeng is capped by a large Sukhothai-style chedi – all that remains of Wat Khao Suwan Khiri.
WAT CHEDI JET THAEW
Next to Wat Chang Lom, these ruins contain seven rows of chedi, the largest of which is a copy of one at Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai. An interesting brick-and-plaster wí·hhn features barred windows designed to look like lathed wood (an ancient Indian technique used all over Southeast Asia). A prasat (small ornate building with a cruciform ground plan and needlelike spire) and chedi are stacked on the roof.
WAT NANG PHAYA
South of Wat Chang Lom and Wat Chedi Jet Thaew, this chedi is Sinhalese in style and was built in the 15th or 16th century, a bit later than the other monuments at Si Satchanalai. Stucco reliefs on the large laterite wí·hhn in front of the chedi – now sheltered by a tin roof – date from the Ayuthaya period when Si Satchanalai was known as Sawankhalok. Goldsmiths in the district still craft a design known as nahng pá·yah, modelled after these reliefs.
WAT PHRA SI RATANA MAHATHAT
These ruins at Chaliang consist of a large laterite chedi (dating back to 1448–88) between two wí·hhn. One of the wí·hhn holds a large seated Sukhothai Buddha image, a smaller standing image and a bas-relief of the famous walking Buddha, exemplary of the flowing, boneless Sukhothai style. The other wí·hhn contains some less distinguished images.
There’s a separate 10B admission for Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat.
WAT CHAO CHAN
These wát ruins are about 500m west of Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat in Chaliang. The central attraction is a large Khmer-style tower similar to later towers built in Lopburi and probably constructed during the reign of Khmer King Jayavarman VII (1181–1217). The tower has been restored and is in fairly good shape. The roofless wí·hhn on the right contains the laterite outlines of a large standing Buddha that has all but melted away from exposure and weathering.
SAWANKHALOK KILNS
The Sukhothai–Si Satchanalai area was once famous for its beautiful pottery, much of which was exported to countries throughout Asia. In China – the biggest importer of Thai pottery during the Sukhothai and Ayuthaya periods –the pieces came to be called ‘Sangkalok’, a mispronunciation of Sawankhalok.
At one time, more than 200 huge pottery kilns lined the banks of Mae Nam Yom in the area around Si Satchanalai. Several have been carefully excavated and can be viewed at the Si Satchanalai Centre for Study & Preservation of Sangkalok Kilns (admission 100B). Two groups of kilns are open to the public: a kiln centre in Chaliang with excavated pottery samples and one kiln; and a larger outdoor Sawankhalok Kilns site 5km northwest of the Si Satchanalai ruins. The exhibits are interesting despite the lack of English labels. These sites are easily visited by bicycle. Admission is included in the 220B all-inclusive ticket.
Ceramics are still made in the area, and several open-air shops can be found around the kiln centre in Chaliang. One local ceramic artist even continues to fire his pieces in an underground wood-burning oven.
Sawanworanayok