Buddhists flock to Sukhothai on first day of Buddhist Lent
Devout Buddhists flocked to Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai’s Muang district to pray for health and wealth at the start of the Buddhist Lent on Thursday.
The temple located in the centre of the Sukhothai Historical Park was the largest and most important temple in the 13th-century Sukhothai Kingdom. The old walled town has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage site.
The park was buzzing with Thai and foreign tourists, who had come to visit the ruins during the long weekend, which wraps up on Sunday.
Wat Mahathat or the “Temple of the Great Relic” was built by the first Sukhothai king, Sri Indraditya in 1345 as his kingdom’s main temple.
The temple’s design is based on a mandala, representing the universe, with the main stupa enshrining Buddha’s relics in the centre and surrounded by smaller stupas in eight directions.
