This comprehensive video really does gives the Historical Park justice. A very nicely filmed and informative visit. Many thanks Doug for taking us along with you. 👍🙏😊

Wonderful footage, Doug! If I lived near that temple I would spend a lot of days just taking in the vibe. Funny red ant analysis. LOL

Thanks for the video. Brings back good memories of my last visit, a few years ago now. I rented a bicycle inside the park to get around. I really like Sukhothai and so glad you could visit.

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

I think a bicycle would be the ideal way to get around. But I didn't mind walking. Gave me time to process and sort through all my camera stuff. But if it was in the middle of a truly hot season, I can see walking being a bit of a chore. Then a bicycle would have you out in the hot sun for less time.

I find that the hop on off tram the best option. Go through all the attractions quickly and go back to the one you like most. Especially for one that complained about not enough time, energy, sun, etc.

Chedi means same as Sayti or Saytitaw in Burmese. Interesting.

Very nice long video of inform. Thanks Doug. I'm in owe of how people, believes and traditions are inter-mingled over time. One thing to remember is that what is written/constructed/passed on are a form of playing telephone game. Many things are reflection of the leaders (kings in this case) wanted written to a certain extent. Take care mate Cheers

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking the exact same thing at the time, though I didn't come right out and say it. I kind of hinted at it when I talked about the inscription on the famous stelae. The writing on the stelae went on and on and on about how Sukhothai was practically a paradise on earth and it was all due to the wisdom and greatness of the rulers. But, of course, you can't really accept that as absolutely true or an accurate record of history. It was written to praise the king at the time. The reality in Sukhothai at the time could have been very different from what they wrote on the stelae. It could have been just a type of marketing and publicity written by the government itself. 🙂

Thank you so much, for your informations well done.👍👍👍👍👍

What a find ! Thanks for making this brilliant content !

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

“A car bomb exploded over the weekend near the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, on the Myawaddy side of the border, adjacent to Mae Sot district. Residents in Mae Sot reported they could clearly hear the blast, which happened late Saturday night.”

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

I've been hearing a lot of similar stories. People I know in Mae Sot say that they have heard a lot of gunfire and the sounds of bombs going off just across the river around Myawaddy. Maybe I sleep more soundly than I think, because I haven't heard any of those sounds during the night or during the day.

Hello Legendary Khun Doug. Kindly update us about your Visa extension situation there with the Tat immigration. Do consider Laos as your next tour country, as soon as you are don with Thailand. Cambodia might be cute too.

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

I was able to get the 60-day extension of stay without any problems. That extension expires on May 24th. And I have the option of getting one more 60-day extension of stay after that if I wish. My next country will almost certainly be Malaysia. I have to return there to deal with my possessions that are in storage there. But after that, I don't really know what will happen.

If u coming to Malaysia. Consider taking train from Bangkok to Northern border Malaysia. Might be a change from a flight

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking about doing that. It's always more interesting to travel overland instead of flying. I was thinking of traveling down to the border overland and then going to Penang first in Malaysia. And then I would take the train from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. That might be more interesting than flying directly to KL. Oddly enough, I think that in the past, overland travel was also attractive because it was cheaper than flying. Backpackers took long, difficult overland trips because flying was too expensive. But now I think the reverse is true. Flights can be so cheap that going to Kuala Lumpur overland could end up being far more expensive than flying there. But it still might be the better way to go. The one question I have is how easy it will be to arrange proper testing at the border right before you cross. It would be easy, I imagine to arrange that in Bangkok if you have to get a covid test within 48 hours of your flight. But I don't know how that would work at a land border crossing.

The Cycling Canadian

Can the self drive electric buggies be taken outside to visit the temples that are outside the Central area?

nice intro doug keep expermentinh doug ..Adrian here

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. The whole Premiere feature in KZread is brand new, and I'm slowly figuring out how things like the Trailer/intro factor in. I was setting up the schedule for the Premiere, and it occurred to me that it might be a good idea if people knew how long the video was. That seemed pretty important.🙂And that thought naturally led to what I said in the intro.

Hmm...wait is this the..."Cycling Canadian" guy from the other youtube video covering his travel in Malaysia previously...😆

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

Same same. I'm the same guy. But since my bicycle was stuck behind Malaysia's closed borders for a while, and I wasn't doing any cycling, I changed the name of the channel to Planet Doug.

Thanks for the informative video. I tried commenting when the premiere was playing but somehow I couldn’t, there wasn’t any place to do so. Anyways I’m Thai of Burmese ancestry and I spent more than 14 years studying Buddhist and Hindu temples in present day India. You are right in spotting the distinct Hindu influences especially on the Khmer and Mon era temples but generally on Thai and Burmese culture. It should be noted that the Hindu cultural influence actually came from three distinct Indian subgroups- the Kalings (from the Bengal Orissa region), the Manipuri and most importantly the Tamil kingdoms of Southern India. Whether they were united or independent is largely unknown. The ancestors of the modern day Thai people are the Dai or Tai peoples, who today can be found in India (Ahoms - Hindus ), Myanmar (Shan - Buddhist ) and of course Thailand. They are believed to have originated from Southern China and heavily intermarried with locals wherever they settled. The temple architecture is very similar to Hindu temples in India. The Indian influences are evident in most words, 1- Sukhothai - Sukh = Joy, Thai = Dai people, literally- (dawn of) Joy for the Dai people. 2- Vihara = Abode or resting place 3- The top of the stupas would be labelled as Kalasa in India 4- Seema = The 8 corners of a holy precinct, within the perimeters of which sacred rituals are carried out 5- The stepwell inside the 3 towers are called the Garbha (grihas), i.e. the womb of the temples. Traditionally this would have housed the Siva (lingams). 6- Most if not all bare chested idols of the Buddha show a thread strung over the left shoulder and across the torso. This is the quintessential sacred thread (Upanayana) worn by anyone who is twice-born (initiated or inducted).

@johnelmer1556

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for taking time to give such a detailed reply, would like to hear someone read the Ramkamheng stone inscription In original Thai/Lao to know if it has poetic cadence.

@paulseoighemcgee5772

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this detailed and helpful reply .

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for that history and information. It's very helpful in terms of understanding what I saw at Sukhothai. Do you know if the word mandapa is used differently in various countries? I read at the Visitor Center later on in Sukhothai, that a mandapa refers to a square structure or building that contains a Buddha statue. So, for example, Wat Si Chum in Sukhothai would be a mandapa (as opposed to a Vihara or an Ubosot). But I don't know if the words Vihara, Ubosot, and Mandapa are used the same way around the world.

@st3231

2 жыл бұрын

@@PlanetDoug Thanks for your reply Doug. The roots of most of these terms are in the Sanskrit (and therefore Pali) languages. I’m not an expert in the evolution of Sanskrit in the different regions of the Indian sphere of influence, but I can only observe and draw my own conclusions. The word Mandapa in Sanskrit means a roof, or an awning, or a covering, a pergola or a porch or just about any structure with pillars (columns) and a roof. In antiquity it was used to describe a separate erate detached roofed structure to the main temple dome. Not just geography but time itself has resulted in varying interpretations of the same word in the same region. For example in modern India , the word Mandapa is used to describe temporary roofed structure where important rituals such as marriages etc are carried out. The word Ubosat is the Siamese approximation of the words Upasampada (Pali) or Upanayana (Sanskrit), which basically means the ordination (as monk, students or ascetics). These special Mandapas marked with the Seema stones denoting the 8 directions, were used as ordination halls. It is in such halls were ordination to become Bhikkus or Bhikshukas or Brahmacharins would take place.

@st3231

2 жыл бұрын

Here is a KZread channel where the guy presents some intriguing questions about the technology behind the ancient temples from India to Indo China. I’m not going to judge if he’s correct everytime or not, but nevertheless his videos do provoke deeper thinking. You may find some of his videos interesting. kzread.info kzread.info

What this filmed in the early spring (2021)?

@PlanetDoug

Жыл бұрын

I believe I went to Sukhothai in November of 2021.

There is a movie (Thai movie) with the title Sukhotai.

@PlanetDoug

2 жыл бұрын

I looked for it, but I couldn't find any information. However, I came across the famous Thai film "The Legend Of Suriyothai". I hadn't heard of that movie before either.

@rosliyatim711

2 жыл бұрын

@@PlanetDoug that the right title... a film by Francis Ford Capola