Restoration of the chedi by King Mongkut
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.