Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Modern · Buddhist · Thailand

Phra Pathommachedi

Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Pathom Province · 13.8197°, 100.0603°

Gautama Buddha (relic stupa)ChakriSri Lankan-style bell-shaped stupa
Sacred since
193 BCE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
1853-1870 (King Mongkut); Dvaravati origin
Chakri

History & significance

Thailand's tallest stupa, rising over 120 metres at Nakhon Pathom, encases a far older Dvaravati-period monument and enshrines relics of the Buddha. King Mongkut ordered the present bell-shaped casing built from 1853, completed under his successor in 1870; the ashes of King Vajiravudh and members of his family are also interred here.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

Local legend tells of Phraya Gong and Phraya Phan, a prince who unknowingly killed his own father and afterwards raised the great stupa in expiation.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chakri