Worlds Largest Chedi - Phra Prathom Chedi - Thailand

One of the most important places for Buddhists in Thailand can be found in Nakhon Pathom, one of the oldest cities in Thailand.

The Phra Pathom chedi, which means “Holy chedi of the beginning” is regarded the oldest Buddhist structure in Thailand. The very impressive chedi (stupa) with its gold roof visible from far away is with its 120 meters height the largest Buddhist chedi in the world.

The history of the chedi goes back all the way to around the 3rd century BC, when Buddhism was first introduced into Thailand. The Indian emperor Ashoka decided to send out monks to many parts of Asia, including Thailand, to spread Buddhism.

The chedi was modeled after the Great Stupa of Sanchi in Central India, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that was built in the 3rd century BC by order of emperor Ashoka. Monks from India brought over relics from the Buddha, that were enshrined in the Phra Pathom chedi.

In those days Nakhon Pathom was located on the Gulf of Thailand. Since then, because of sedimentation from the Chao Phraya river, the land progressed more towards the South and Nakhon Pathom was no longer a coastal city.

When the local river also dried up, the city was abandoned and eventually overgrown by jungle, with its inhabitants moving to the nearby town Nakhon Chai Si. Only during the first half of the 19th century the city became inhabited again.

Restoration of the chedi by King Mongkut, who before he became King, spent many years as a monk travelling the country, visited the chedi a number of times. The chedi at that time was in a very bad state of repair and overgrown by jungle.

After Mongkut ascended the throne in 1851 he ordered the restoration of the Phra Pathom chedi. The original much smaller stupa was to be covered by a much larger chedi to be newly build. After 17 years of construction, during the reign of Mongkut’s successor King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) the chedi was completed. The original much smaller stupa still exists today, covered by the large 19th century structure.

When the chedi was finished, the population of nearby Nakhon Chai Si was ordered to return to the town of Nakhon Pathom. Surrounding the stupa that has a base of 233 meters is a courtyard with four viharns that each contain Buddha images in different postures.

So with that being said I show you around the Chedi and give you a bit more information on it. I hope you like the video as much as I did making it. Enjoy!

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