Four Kingdoms of Siam

Chedi in Sisatchanalai

This past week we have travelled through Thai history as we bussed the 600 km south from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. The history started with the 12th and 13th century kingdom with its capital in Sukhothai, the second kingdom in Ayuthaya (1350 to 1767), the third kingdom (Taksin) near Bangkok, and the fourth kingdom (the Rama dynasty) based in Bangkok (1782 to 1932).

Our first stop was Sisatchanalai – one of four satellite cities of Sukhothai. This was a 12^th century ruin from the first Siamese Kingdom. This city was notable for its many Chedi and the fact that it was all built from quarried stone – laterite. We had a good time wandering around this site but it was much warmer and more humid than we were used to in Chiang Mai so after an hour or so we were happy to get back on our air-conditioned bus.

Cycling through Sukhothai

It was cooler by the time we arrived at Sukhothai, and we enjoyed a bicycle tour of the ruins of the city. Our first stop was a Hindu temple and Ajaan Rien, our guide, described a ritual that would have taken place there that involved a virgin and a stone phallus. After hearing that, I think that if I had had to choose between the two, I would have chosen Buddhism, but that is probably a hasty judgment – I am sure Hinduism has its attractions. Ajaan Rien certainly had the students' attention during this discussion. After that we had free time to bike to the many and very extensive Buddhist temples on the site.

The SSU team in front of the Hindu temple at
Sukhothai

Our hotel that night had free wifi in the lobby only which was infested with mosquitoes – the most aggressive I have experienced on this trip. We should have used our anti-malaria pills there instead of in the Karen village where we hardly ever saw a mosquito! The buffet dinner in the hotel (thankfully mosquito-free) reminded me of our trip with SSU in Greece and Turkey. It was hard not to overeat with so many choices of interesting food to try.

On Tuesday we headed south again towards Ayuthaya, the capital of the second Siamese Kingdom. The people of Ayuthaya defeated the people of Sukhothai in 1350 and moved the capital south. In Ayuthaya we visited a temple site, once again with lots of Chedi, by the Chao Praya or Royal River (pronounced here as “loyal liver”).

Summer Palace - Buddhist shrine and  the Petite Trianon

Summer Palace like the
Forbidden City

Wednesday we visited the summer palace just north of Bangkok. We drove over a flat plain on the 60 km trip south from Ayuthaya. Except for the wet rice fields and the occasional Buddhist shrine, it could have been Manitoba. The summer palace was built by King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V 1868 – 1910) during the fourth kingdom of Siam (1767 - 1932). He was the son of the King of The King and I fame. Rama V had travelled to France and was very taken with Versailles, so the summer palace has a Petite Trianon and a small Gothic church which is, in fact, a Buddhist temple. Kathleen was particularly taken aback by this mixing of cultures. The site was beautiful with numerous waterways and buildings built in many different styles, including a small-scale version of the Chinese Forbidden City. We enjoyed a trip across the river in a cable car.

The third kingdom was short lived and I do not think there is much left, but our Bangkok hotel is on the location of the third kingdom so we can say we have visited there too. This trip has certainly opened the door of Thai history for us. I can hardly wait to watch the King and I and Anna and the King again.

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