The historical park’s central zone is home to Wat Phra Kaew, the area’s largest complex that once served as a royal temple. According to an ancient text, the Thai civilisation’s most treasured Buddha image — the Emerald Buddha now housed in Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew — was once kept here.
While the Emerald Buddha has long since moved on, a handful of elephant statues carved in distinctive Sukhothai style remain in excellent condition at Wat Phra Kaew. Further to the rear of the complex, a trio of photogenic Buddha images — two seated and one reclining — are thought to have been added during the Ayutthaya period.
One of the most obvious differences between the ruins here and those at Sukhothai is the extensive use of laterite stone. Unique to Kamphaeng Phet on such a large scale, many of the laterite Buddha images have lost arms over the centuries, and the facial features on most have long since worn away. The result is a host of eerie images that look more like futuristic aliens than ancient humans. From a Buddhist perspective, the faceless images call to mind the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence and selflessness.