Phutthamonthon is a Buddhist

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

 park in the Phutthamonthon district

Amphoe Phutthamonthon

Phutthamonthon is a district in the east of Nakhon Pathom Province, central Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Bang Len, the districts Sai Noi, Bang Yai and Bang Kruai of Nonthaburi Province, the district Thawi Watthana of Bangkok, and Sam Phran and Nakhon Chai Si.-History:The minor...

, Nakhon Pathom Province

Nakhon Pathom Province

Nakhon Pathom ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi...

 of 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...

, west of Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

. It is highlighted by a 15.87 m (52 ft) high Buddha statue, which is considered to be the highest free-standing Buddha statue of the world.

The park was created in 1957 (which was the year 2500 in the Thai Buddhist Era

Thai solar calendar

The Thai solar calendar, Suriyakati was adopted by King Chulalongkorn in AD 1888 as the Siamese version of the Gregorian calendar. It is the legal calendar in Thailand, though Thai lunar calendar dates continue in use. Years are now counted in the Buddhist Era that is 543 years greater than...

) on the basis of an idea of Thailand's prime minister, Phibunsongkhram

Plaek Pibulsonggram

Field Marshal Plaek Pibunsongkhram , often known as Phibun Songkhram or simply Phibun in English, was Prime Minister and virtual military dictator of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and 1948 to 1957.- Early years :...

. The park covers an area of about 400 hectare

Hectare

The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

s, which in traditional Thai units is 2500 rai

Rai (area)

A rai is a unit of area, equal to 1,600 square metres , used for measuring land area. Its current size is precisely derived from the metre, but is neither part of nor recognized by the modern metric system, the International System ....

. Construction started on July 29, 1955, and the park was inaugurated on the Vaisakh Bucha day (May 13) in 1957.

After a long pause construction on the park resumed in 1976; notably, the main Buddha statue was built after that time. Already designed in 1955 by art professor Silpa Bhirasri

Silpa Bhirasri

Silpa Bhirasri , born Corrado Feroci was an Italian-born sculptor who worked mainly in Thailand. He is considered the father of modern art in Thailand and was instrumental in the founding of today's Silpakorn University....

, the statue was cast in 1981. Given the name Phra Si Sakkaya Thotsaphonlayan Prathan Phutthamonthon Suthat by King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Bhumibol Adulyadej

Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...

,which 15.875 m high and located at the centre of the park. Around the statue are sites memorialising the four main stations in the life of Buddha

Gautama Buddha

Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...

: his birth symbolized by seven lotus flowers, his Enlightenment

Bodhi

Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things...

 under the Bodhi tree

Bodhi tree

The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo , was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree located in Bodh Gaya , under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism later known as Gautama Buddha, is said to have achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi...

, his first sermon and his death. Another important building is the marble viharn, which contains the entire Buddhist canon

Tripiṭaka

' is a traditional term used by various Buddhist sects to describe their various canons of scriptures. As the name suggests, a traditionally contains three "baskets" of teachings: a , a and an .-The three categories:Tripitaka is the three main categories of texts that make up the...

engraved in 1418 marble stelas.