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 orange 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 introduced to Thailand. The Indian emperor Ashoka decided then to send out monks over 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, and 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.