Wat Sri Sawai

Wat Si Sawai is situated 350 meters south of Wat Maha That. The temple is surrounded by a laterite wall with the entrance to the south. From the evidence of artefacts it is believed that site was a Brahmin shrine, featuring three towers in a row on one base, before the founding of the city of Sukhothai. In the Sukhothai period the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhist use and three new towers were constructed, as seen today. Demarcated by a wall, the three prangs were built in Lop Buri style. Some of the stucco decoration shows influence of the Khmer Bayon period but was executed in the mid 14th century. Some designs are similar to those on Chinese wares of Yuan dynasty. There has been some unfortunate crude restoration of the stucco in recent years.

In 1907 Crown Prince Vajiravudh visited the site and discovered a statue of Shiva within the vihara in front of the tower. Later, following restoration by the Fine Arts Department, a carved lintel with the God Vishnu reclining on the Naga was discovered. The lintel is kept at the nearby Ramkhamhaeng National Museum. Fragments of Hindu god images and lingam point out that this temple was originally a Hindu sanctuary and later transformed into a Buddhist temple with some expansion of the frontal part in form of a vihara.

References:
1. Guide to Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet Historical Parks - Fine Arts Department (1999).
2. Thai-Cambodian Culture: Relationship through arts - Charuwan Phungtian (2000) - Magadh University, Bodhgaya.

Ayutthaya Historical Research