Phra Pathom Chedi is the tallest stupa

Stupa

A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....

 in the world with the height of 127 metres (417 ft). It is located in the town of Nakhon Pathom

Nakhon Pathom

Nakhon Pathom is a city in central Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Pathom Province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathom Chedi...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

.

The name Phra Pathom Chedi means Holy chedi (stupa) of the beginning. The stupa at the location is first mentioned in Buddhist scriptures of the year 675, however archaeological findings date back to the 4th century. In the 11th century it was overbuilt with a Khmer (Ancient Cambodia) style

Architecture of Cambodia

The period of Angkor is the period from approximately the latter half of the 8th century AD to the first half of the 15th century. If precise dates are required, the beginning may be set in 802 AD, when the founder of the Khmer Empire , Jayavarman II pronounced himself universal monarch and...

 prang

Prang (architecture)

A prang is a tall finger-like spire, usually richly carved. This was a common feature of Khmer religious architecture and was later adopted by Thai builders, typically in the Ayutthaya and Bangkok periods. In Thailand it appears only with the most important religious buildings.The first Prangs in...

, which was later overgrown by the jungle. The ruin was visited several times by the later King Mongkut

Mongkut

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut , was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868...

 during his time as a monk, and after his coronation he ordered the building of a new and more magnificent chedi at the site. After 17 years of construction it was finished in 1870, and the population of nearby Nakhon Chai Si

Amphoe Nakhon Chai Si

Nakhon Chai Si is a district of Nakhon Pathom Province, central Thailand.-History:It was established in the reign of King Maha Chakkraphat of Ayutthaya kingdom....

was ordered to move to the newly created town around the chedi.