The walking Buddha statue is one of the most important items at the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum.

Ramkhamhaeng National Museum

With an excellent collection of artefacts found across Sukhothai, the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum takes you on a journey through the history of the kingdom.

The Ramkhamhaeng National Museum includes an outdoor area to exhibit large antiquities. – © Michael Turtle

A collection of stucco decorations that would once have adorned various buildings in the old town of Sukhothai. – © Michael Turtle

A depiction of the inside of a crypt in a subsidiary chedi of Wat Mahathat. – © Michael Turtle

The Ramkhamhaeng National Museum includes an outdoor area to exhibit large antiquities. – © Michael Turtle

Located next to the entrance to the Sukhothai Historical Park, the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum contains some of the most important artefacts found in the old city, showing the development of the kingdom and the opulence of its peak.

The exhibits include bronze kettledrums found in different parts of Southeast Asia that demonstrate contact Sukhothai had with the region from as early as 500 BC. Artworks with Hindu influences and images of Shiva and Vishnu show how religious culture evolved over the centuries.

14th-century Hindu statues of Harihara and Vishnu that were found at the Thewalai Mahakaset temple in Sukhothai. – © Michael Turtle

Some of the most important items of the collection are statues of Buddha that showcase the Sukhothai style of art that emerged here from the 13th century, depicting Buddha with a flame-like halo, an oval face, and a slight smile. These once covered the temples of the historical park, but many have been damaged or removed.

A stucco statue of Buddha subduing Mara from the 14th-15th century that was found in Si Satchanalai. – © Michael Turtle

The Ramkhamhaeng National Museum also has a series of exhibitions explaining some of the most important aspects of Sukhothai's history and culture, including a model of the inscription by King Ramkhamhaeng that is said to be the earliest surviving example of the Thai script. A narrow staircase with images on the wall depicts the pathway that leads to the head of the Buddha at Wat Si Chum.