The national language may be regarded as an important component part of that nation's culture. Altough the written language had been used in this land since the 7th century, the earliest evidence of the Thai script was found inscribed on a stele dated 1292. King Ramkhamhaeng the Great had invented the Thai script in 1283. This early Thai quite different from other contemporary scripts such as the Khmer and the Mon. Certain characteristics of the Thai language such as vowel and tone markings had been invented. On this stele, King Ramkhamhaeng told of the Sukhothai cultural entity, its way of life, society, laws, believes, traditions, etc. Clearly, by the 13th century, the Thais had realized a distinctive culture of their own.

Prior to its secession, the Sukhothai empire was a vassal state of the Khmer empire .Its seat of government was establish in Sri Satchanalai. In 1249, local lords ceded power from the Khmers and set up an independent kingdom with Sukhothai as its capital. It prospered until 1438 when the power was superseded by the Ayudhaya kingdom.

The major cities which flourished during the Sukhothai period became derelict and abandoned. Magnificent building structures fell into ruin. In time, tropical growths veiled these sites and that civilization went into oblivion. In 1833, King Ramkhamhaeng's stelewas found on the sites of Sukhothai's palace precinct. The finder was the monk and scholar Prince Monkut who later ascended to the throne as King Rama IV of the Royal House of Chakri. Prince Mongkut immediately recognized the importance of his discovery, and since then, researchers have been studying Sukhotahi culture as the antecedent of modern Thai culture.

From a total of 28 inscribed stelae, hundreds of ancient monuments and archaeological sites, knowledge of the Sukhothai culture is emerging. Thais of the Sukhothai period were devout Buddhists, being theologically instructed by missionaries of the Singhalese Chapter of Buddha monks. Almost all major building projects were intended for the Buddhist religious worship. However, inscriptions and small artifacts such as dolls which have their heads deliberately broken off show that ancient animistic and Brahminic beliefs were still practised. The Thai script had been formalized and Thai literature had developed to the degree of sophistication. In 1345, King Lithai wrote a remarkable philosophical work on cosmology known as "Traibhumi Phra Ruang", The oldest Known Piece of Thai literature. They played percussive and wind instruments some of which have survived in their original forms of the day. Some existing musical compositions may have originated during the Sukhothai period, although there is no actual evidence of this. The few paintings which have survived, however, show that the artists worked mainly in a monochromatic linear style using natural colors.
The Sukhothai economy proposed under a stable system of government. The Sukhothai kings were at once overlords, patriarchs and spiritual leaders, the forebears of the modern Thai monarchy. Under Their leadership, vast irrigation systems were developed. Sufficient agricultural production allowed for technological growth, and a surprisingly large-scale ceramics industry emerge. Architectural components and decorative elements were manufactured. Utensils were made in large quantities for export. Sukhothai wares became known worldwide and are now prized collector items. Iron, tin, zinc, lead and copper mines supplied the metal industries. A monetary system developed with foreign trade, using gold, silver and shell tokens, all forerunners of the modern system.

Ref: Thailand Cultural Centre

Picture of Sukhothai buddha from "Thai collection Book"