Wat Sorasak

Terrain

General Condition

The ancient site of Wat Sorasak is located in Sukhothai. in the northern area of ​​the city near the entrance to the royal court north city gate (About 150 meters from the San Luang Gate to the south) on the north side of Wat Sorasak, adjacent to Wat Son Khao. West next to Ta Pha Daeng Shrine

Sukhothai is located on the plains of the river (Terrace) in the eastern foothills of the Pratak Mountains. The sediment deposited thus consists of soil, gravel, sand that is carried by the water from the mountains.

From the foothills, the area has a slope to the east to the Yom River, which is approximately 11 kilometers east of the ancient city. Klong Sao Ho which is a straight stream on the south side and Mae Lamphan Canal on the north and east side of the city and flows into the Yom River at the present Sukhothai Province.

The area between the ancient city of Sukhothai and the Yom River is a marsh. There are frequent floods and some places have been trapped in water for months. Therefore, it may be one of the reasons why Sukhothai Old City is not located on the riverbank plain.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Khlong Sao Ho, Khlong Mae Lamphan, Yom River

Geological conditions

Sukhothai is located on the plains of the river (Terrace) in the eastern foothills of the Pratak Mountains. which is a sedimentary mountain range in the Permian and Triassic periods consisted of many horns The sediment deposited thus consists of soil, gravel, sand that has been carried by water from the mountains. The soil is the Mae Taeng soil series (Mae Taeng series:Mt).

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Inscription of Wat Sorasak It is a slate slab, sema-shaped, inscribed on one side, 35 lines, inscribed in Thai Sukhothai characters, Thai language. Asking for a land size of 15x30 wa from Chao Than Aokya Thammaracha (Phaya Sailuethai) to build a monastery for offerings. Build a Maha Chedi with an elephant consisting of Phra Chao Noi Din and Viharn Hor Phra, built in 1955 and completed in 1960. When it was successfully built, he invited Phra Maha Sangha Sangha of Trilok. from Dao Khon Subdistrict The aunt of Okya Thammaracha Mayor of Sukhothai to come to remember the Buddhist Lent at this temple as well (Jum Thongwan 1965:1983; Special Cheachanphong 2003 :19; Sakchai Saising 2004 :63)

Later, in 1959, Somdej Phra Boromrachathirat II Chao Sam Phraya, while he was still a young boy, came to perform royal merits. with the Queen Mother and Her Majesty's Matucha in Sukhothai On this visit, Phra Matucha entered the old sanctuary on the west side, next to Wat Sorasak. The inscription of Wat Sorasak is this that helps point out the location of the palace or the boss's palace. as well as the king of Sukhothai that should be located in the west of Wat Sorasak Above Sala Ta Pha Daeng and at present is the road from Wat Mahathat through Ta Pha Daeng Shrine Passing Wat Sorasak and Phra Tamnak, to the gate of the royal court on the north side is the "sanam" mentioned in the Wat Sorasak inscription (Special Chea Chanphong 2003 :19)

The distinguishing feature of this temple is The main chedi that is a Lanka-style chedi that has been built since the Sukhothai period is Round chedi with elephants surrounding the base According to the belief that the elephant is the vehicle of the emperor. that is worthy of being a vehicle to sustain Buddhism for 5,000 years (Special Chea Chanphong 2003 :19)

The original pagoda was completely destroyed. Only the base is surrounded by elephants. This corresponds to the text in the inscription. However, the current form was rebuilt when the Fine Arts Department renovated it in 2003 (Sakchai Saising 2004 :64).

In front or on the east side of the main chedi is the viharn. From the base and the remaining pillar stumps, Prof. Dr. Santi Leksukhum (2008 :49) assumed that this viharn would have a gable roof and a veranda around it.

Prof. Dr. Sakchai Saising (2004 :64) said that the information from the inscription indicates the construction of the temple in those days. It's probably a matter of kings and lords. As for the nobles to build temples, they must first ask for the royal permission. and a bell-shaped chedi decorated with elephant sculptures surrounding it. It should have been popular during this time.

In addition, the inscription mentions the creation of the Divine Divine. where on the other side of the inscription appeared a Buddha image carved as Phra Leela. Prof. Dr. Prasert Na Nakorn gave an opinion that the god slack feet here may refer to the dancing Buddha image. It is one of the important evidence that shows that the Sukhothai style Buddha image It must have been before, or at least in the 1960s, it was already well known (Sakchai Saising 2004 :64).