Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom to the west of Bangkok is famous for its Phra
Pathom Chedi which rises high above the city. The city is the oldest
religious centre of Thailand. It is told that buddhism originated here in the
third century B.C. in the period of the Indian emperor Ashoka when Indian monks
visited the city. Buddhists probably built the original chedi in the
beginning of the sixth century A.D. Later the chedi was destroyed several
times by foreign invaders. In 1853 king Rama IV built a new larger chedi
over the remains of the old one. It was to become the highest buddhist monument
in the world. From far away one can see the chedi rise above the city. The
main entrance is on the north side. A stairway leads to the terrace surrounded
by a gallery. The round chedi is covered with orange tiles. The peak
consists of ever smaller rings from down under to up above. The gallery
is disrupted by four viharns. The northern viharn has a standing, preaching
buddha in the centre of some smaller statues covered by pieces of goldleaf and
amongst sacrifices of candles, incense and flowers. The eastern viharn
depicts a sermon of Buddha under the bodhi tree. In the southern viharn Buddha
is protected by a divine snake from the rain. In the western viharn a lying
golden Buddha symbolizes the state of nirvana. The outer wall of the gallery has
various statues. The platform has various
pavillions and blossom trees.
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