Phra Pathom Chedi
Phra Pathom Chedi, the tallest stupa in the world (417') at Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, was completed in its present form in 1870. "Phra," meaning lord, or holy, is a title of honor wide in its application, but chiefly applied by custom to holy things or persons, as monks, priests, and the like. A chedi is a Thai Buddhist monument tower erected as a memorial or shrine, similar to a stupa, with a tapering spire. The word "pathom" means first. So the name Phra Pathom Chedi might be rendered as Holy First Shrine.
Phra-chedis or, as some would style them, topes, are broad-based cones, surrounded by deep mouldings, and tapering upwards into spires, often of great height. The lower stages of the Phra-chedi are not unfrequently square; the central part has a bell-like form; the building itself is invariably solid. A relic, a small; image of some costly material, or some like object, is said to be commonly concealed in the center of the mass, but is honored by no particular reverence distinct from that allowed to the Phra-chedi itself. Hardly any temple in Siam but has one or more of these pyramid spires in attendance on it, and often out-topping it greatly.
Wat Phra Pathom Chedi is the largest stupa in Thailand. Its height is 120.45 meters, approximately the same height as St.Paul's Cathedral in London. Its circumference is 233.50 meters. It is higher than the Golden Mount Stupa in Bangkok, which is 76 meters high.
Phra Pathom Chedi, which was built between one thousand and two thousand year ago, has a long history which is actually a mixture of fact and legend. There are quite a few versions related to the origin of the place. The Phra Pathom Chedi was originally erected in 4th century, or the early 6th century, by Theravada Buddhists of the Dvaravati Kingdom, a Buddhist kingdom in present-day Thailand and an early Mon state. First mentioned in Chinese sources as T'o-lo-po-ti in the middle of the 7th century AD, its capital may have been at Nakhon Pathom and its territory must have comprised almost all present Thailand. The name Nakhon Pathom means ‘First City’ (nakhon means city; pathom means first), which is why it is regarded as the most ancient city of Thailand.
The stupa, first built during the Dvaravati period, has grown larger over the centuries, eventually reaching its current glory as Phra Pathom Chedi. Forgotten and left to be claimed by the jungle, the site was not rediscovered until the 19th century, when Rama IV had Phra Pathom Chedi built. The original stupawas discovered in the reign of King Rama III of Bangkok by Prince Mongkot, the younger brother of Rama III. When he found the original stupa, he was in his monkhood, and was making a pilgrimage to Nakhon Pathom.
After Prince Mongkut had ascended the throne, and became King Rama IV, he had a new larger stupa built to cover the original one, which was 81 meters high. The construction of the Great Stupa began in 1853 and it took altogether 17 years to complete the construction. The present stupa is not similar to the original one. The present one is in the Sri Lankan style, consisting of the lotus-petal base, the bell, the throne and the conical spire in the form of superimposed rings of diminishing size.
Phra Pathom Chedi is the oldest Buddhist monument in Thailand. It is located in a region where Buddhism was first introduced by Sona Thera and Uttra Thera in the fourth Buddhist century. The present shape of Phra Pathom Chedi differs from the original one, which was that of an overturned bowl in the Indian stupa style.
Situated in Tambon Phra Pathom Chedi, Amphoe Muang, it is a towering tribute to Buddhism, a place worthy of being worshipped. The Chedi's upper terrace is surrounded by the bell towers which are spaced at intervals. The Phra Pathom Chedi is encrusted in gold and ochre tiles, supported by two ballustrades, and surrounded by a circular gallery. The inner walls of the gallery are inscribed in Pali with Buddhist teachings.
Today's Nakhon Pathom is a typical provincial Thai city, with a population of about 50,000. Today, little remains of Nakhon Pathom's glorious past, and the province is largely a suburb of Bangkok. The modern city's star attraction is the enormous Phra Pathom Chedi, an imposing stupa that dominates the skyline from every direction. The present-day chedi is much revered and holds its own week-long Phra Pathom Chedi fair, around the time of Loy Krathong in mid-November, which attracts musicians, fortune-tellers and of course plenty of food stalls.
Not all visitors were impressed, preferring the Prang (a tower-like stupa) over the Chedi (stupa). The Englishman W. Giffor Palgrave, writing in 1881, noted that "the design is unfortunately not worthy of the giant proportions of the edifice, and the general effect clumsy and poor.... "Wat Chang" at Bangkok, which, though not two hundred. feet high, looks not only infinitely grander, but even loftier than the ungainly edifice of Phrapathom."
In 2005, the Thai government submitted Phra Pathom Chedi’s name to UNESCO as a future world heritage site. Living monuments, which still have significant importance as centers of pilgrimage and foci of local religious life, are apt to be altered or modernized by their trustees without much allowance for historic conservation. On August 25, 2011 Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome suspended the Fine Arts Department's survey of a proposal to enter Phra Pathom Chedi on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Her suspension of the data collection and opinion surveys followed protests by residents and vendors around the landmark that registration would alter their lifestyles and impact their businesses. Vendors were concerned they would be unable to sell goods or live near the area after the registration.
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