Phitsanulok and Kamphaeng Phet
Since it is my last week in Thailand, it is high time that I made a trip north of Bangkok to visit Sukhothai. It is not a trip to undertake in one day, both because of the long journey and because there is a lot to see in the area. Beside the three sites that are co-inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list (Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, and Si Satchanalai), there is also Phitsanulok, a historically significant city with several interesting attractions. Founded in the thirteenth century as Song Khwae (meaning “Two Rivers”), the city became the seat of the Sukhothai Kingdom in 1378. Song Khwae would retain its prominent status even after Sukhothai’s incorporation into Ayutthaya in 1448. King Trailokanat moved his residence to the city during the Ayutthaya-Lanna War (presumably to be closer to the battlefield) and renamed it Phitsanulok, meaning “The World of Vishnu.” In the sixteenth century, Phitsanulok went on to serve as the seat of the Uparaja (or heir presumptive) of Ayutthaya.