Nakhon Pathom
Thailand's tallest stupa (124m) marks where Buddhism allegedly arrived circa 325 BCE—entombed Dvaravati original, rebuilt by King Mongkut 1851, now pig-farming pomelo country.
Nakhon Pathom claims to be where Buddhism first arrived in Thailand—and at 124 meters, its Phra Pathom Chedi is the kingdom's tallest stupa, built to prove the point. Archaeological evidence dates the site to around 325 BCE, when missionaries from Ashoka's India established a monastery here. By the 6th century, Nakhon Pathom anchored the Dvaravati civilization, the largest Mon settlement in the region. Khmers annexed it in the 11th century. Pagan Burmese invaded next. The city was abandoned, the original stupa swallowed by jungle.
King Mongkut rediscovered the ruins in 1851 and ordered restoration. Seventeen years later, under his son Chulalongkorn, the massive modern chedi was completed—the original small stupa entombed within a far larger shell. The structure is both monument and metaphor: Thai Buddhism, like the chedi itself, has been built, destroyed, buried, and rebuilt across millennia.
Just 56 kilometers from Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom now functions as the capital's agricultural hinterland. Thai-Chinese farmers made it one of Thailand's top pig-farming provinces; the Mekong Delta climate produces pomelos sweet enough to earn the city its nickname. A new airport is planned for 2025-2026, connecting second-tier provinces to Bangkok. But the economy still orbits the stupa: the annual nine-day worship festival draws pilgrims from across the region, and September's food festival sells pomelos, coconuts, and crispy pork in its shadow.