Wat Saphan Hin

Wat Saphan Hin, or Stone Bridge Monastery, is situated on a mound of 200 meters high. This temple is well known for a standing Buddha image of large size as was mentioned in Stone Inscription No.1: "In the heart of the forest Aranyik there is a beautiful large vihara, a Buddha image called Attharot in standing posture..." Wat Saphan Hin is supposed to be the temple where King Ramkhamhaeng went on a white elephant named Racha Khiri to worship a Buddha image every Buddhist day. An ascent of 300 meters long from the foot of the mound to the temple was built and paved with stones from which the temple's name was derived. A shattered stele from the 10th century AD in shale was found here, containing on two faces a total of 11 lines of Sanskrit and Khmer writing. The Vibhuti Inscription is exhibited at the Vajirayan Buiding in the National Museum in Bangkok.

[Ref: Guide to Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet Historical Parks – Fine Arts Department (1999)]

Ayutthaya Historical Research