Why should you go there and how do you do it right?

The main attraction is Phra Achana, a nearly 15-meter-high seated Buddha embedded in a square pavilion. The walls are so close together that the figure appears even larger than it already is. Since there's no roof, the sky provides the illumination. You catch your first glimpse through a tall slit in the stone facade—that's the ingenious part of the design, and it works. Arrive at 7:30 a.m., when the gates open and the light is soft, and you'll practically have the place to yourself.

Inside the hollow walls is a staircase, its walls lined with engraved slate plaques depicting scenes from the Jataka tales, the Buddha's previous lives. Access is not always permitted, so don't plan your day trip around it. The exterior view and the narrow perspective are what visitors tend to remember anyway. The site is open and easy to navigate, typical of this part of the Sukhothai Historical Park, and is therefore well-suited as a stopover to be included in a cycling tour between other ruins, rather than as a standalone destination.