Phra Pathommachedi, Buddhist stupa in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

Phra Pathommachedi is a Buddhist stupa in Nakhon Pathom, about 56 kilometers west of Bangkok. Its golden-brown bell-shaped dome rises from a square base into a tall tapering spire, reaching 120.45 meters, with a base circumference of 235.50 meters. Below the dome, a white arched facade frames a dark entrance with a standing golden Buddha, flanked by smaller arched openings, and a wide staircase with pale balustrades leads up to it.

The monarch ordered construction starting in 1853 after discovering remains of an older religious site dating to the 6th century. The new shell enclosed the ancient foundations and was expanded further under his successors into the early 20th century.

The name Phra Pathommachedi, 'the first holy stupa', was given by King Mongkut. Each year the temple holds a nine-day, nine-night festival from the 12th waxing to the 5th waning day of the twelfth lunar month, with a procession of yellow robes that are joined into a long strip, carried around the stupa, and draped over its neck.

The complex opens in the morning and closes in the late afternoon, and visitors should remove their shoes before entering and keep shoulders and knees covered. A walk along the covered galleries leads around the entire base and offers several entrances to the prayer halls.

Each of the four prayer halls holds an oversized Buddha figure in a different posture, from meditation to teaching. The halls open directly toward the central tower and allow worshippers to walk around it from four cardinal directions.