Wat Saphan Hin - Sukhothai UNESCO Historical Park - With Drone Footage - Thailand 2024

Wat Saphan Hin is a small temple on top of a hill facing old Sukhothai town. It is known for its 12 meter tall standing Buddha image overlooking the valley below. The temple is located a few hundred meters past the West zone entrance gate.

Wat Saphan Hin translates to “temple of the stone bridge”. It is named after the path of stones that leads to the temple on top of a 200 meter high hill. Although it takes some effort to climb the way to the top, visitors will have great views of the surrounding area once you reach the top.

A little over halfway to the top standing on a base of five receding tiers is a small lotus bud chedi in the typical Sukhothai style. Just underneath the lotus bud finial are niches where images of the Buddha were enshrined.

Wat Saphan Hin is known for the large standing image of the Buddha known as Phra Attharot, that can be seen from the bottom of the path. The 12 meter tall image is in the Abhaya mudra, the gesture of dispelling fear. The image stands in the remains of a viharn or assembly hall that also enshrines a much smaller seated image of the Buddha in the “Calling the Earth to witness” mudra.

The Phra Attharot is mentioned in a stone inscription found in the area. It is believed that Sukhothai king Ramkhamhaeng rode his white elephant to the temple to worship the image.

The temple is small but a lot of fun to climb the hill to see. It’s a popular place for visitors to see the sun rise. With the standing Buddha facing towards the easy visitors are treated with the morning glow of the sun reflecting off its face.