The central stupa of Wat Phra Kaeo, the largest temple in the Inner Zone of the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park.

Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park – Inner

Explore the majestic temples in the historic centre of the charming modern city that was once an impressive military outpost.

Elephant sculptures along the base of a round pagoda in the Wat Phra Kaeo temple. – © Michael Turtle

Trees grow through the defensive wall made of laterite bricks that stretches around the historic city for 5.3 kilometres. – © Michael Turtle

Galleries surround the main stupa of the Wat Phra That temple, which shows an influence of the Ayutthaya style. – © Michael Turtle

Elephant sculptures along the base of a round pagoda in the Wat Phra Kaeo temple. – © Michael Turtle

As the Sukhothai Kingdom grew, so did its need to protect itself, and the city of Kamphaeng Phet served that purpose to the south. About 65 kilometres away from the capital, it was able to head off any advances from enemies travelling from that direction. The city was also strategically placed along the river, near the junction of other important waterways, so it was also able to protect Sukhothai's critical trading routes.

More than just a military outpost, Kamphaeng Phet was a vibrant city and, like its neighbours, had a ceremonial centre with a large royal palace and up to 20 temples. While the palace is no longer here, the remaining temples make up the Inner Zone of the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park.

The largest temple in the Inner Zone is Wat Phra Kaeo, which would have been next to the palace and was used for ceremonies. A significant feature is that it has five pagodas on the same base, extending for about 300 metres. The main stupa is adorned with lions, while another round stupa has elephant sculptures around its base.

An ensemble of three Buddha statues on one of the pagodas of Wat Phra Kaeo. – © Michael Turtle

Adjacent to the largest temple is Wat Phra That, which is believed to have been the main temple for the king and is one of the most important monuments in the historical park. It's much smaller but has a bell-shaped stupa that contains relics of Buddha. Surrounding the stupa are galleries, which is unusual in Sukhothai and shows an influence from Ayutthaya.

The stupa of Wat Phra That, which would have been the main temple of the king. – © Michael Turtle

Around the historic city are large walls made from laterite bricks that cover a length of 5.3 kilometres. There are 9 gates and 11 fortresses remaining along the wall, which was built in the 15th century. The fortresses are arrow-shaped on the corners, square-shaped in front of the gates, and pentagon-shaped in the other locations.