Phra Pathom Chedi

One Of The Tallest Stupas In The World, About 120 M, Traditionally The Site Of The First Buddhist Chedi In Thailand · Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Pathom

Phra Pathom Chedi, in the centre of the city of Nakhon Pathom about an hour west of Bangkok, is one of the tallest stupas in the world, a vast bell-shaped chedi about 120 metres high covered in glazed orange-gold tiles that glow in the sun and can be seen across the flat plain. Its name means the first chedi, because tradition holds that this is where Buddhism first took root in the land that became Thailand, and Nakhon Pathom was an important centre of the Dvaravati culture more than a thousand years ago. The present chedi was begun in the reign of King Mongkut, Rama IV, who had seen the ruined older stupa as a monk, and was completed under King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, encasing the older monument. Around it run a circular cloister lined with Buddha images and terraces with shrines, bodhi trees and halls, and on the north side stands the Phra Ruang Rojanarit, a tall standing Buddha. A museum, a busy market, an easy train ride from Bangkok and a big temple fair in November complete the visit.

Phra Pathom Chedi, Mueang Nakhon Pathom District, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Pathom, 73000, Thailand

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the temple grounds are open every day from early morning, around 6 or 7 am, to about 6 pm, with the terrace and viharns open through the day and the chedi lit in the evening; there is no weekly closing day for the temple. The Phra Pathom Chedi National Museum opens roughly 9 am to 4 pm, with last entry before closing and weekly closing days, commonly Monday and Tuesday; Sanam Chandra Palace has its own hours and closures. The traps that ruin a day are arriving at midday on the scorching terrace, finding the museum on its closing day, getting stuck in traffic by taxi from Bangkok, and visiting the floating market too late in a combined tour. Confirm current times before relying on them.

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