Religion

(Wat Pho, Bangkok) By order of the King, these three chedis were built next to each other in a straight line north to south. The architectural style of chedi’s are all the same; bell-shaped with a 20 corner square and lotus bases. This chedi measures 52 feet wide and 138 feet tall. There is a tapering conical top and a tip of spire decorated with a jewel ball. These structures are Buddhist places of worship typically containing the remains of monks or other holy relics. Traditionally there is no access to the inside. Some of the very large chedis where built to attract wandering pilgrims. According to early Buddhist sources the practice of constructing these mounds dates back to the 5th century BC. The richly decorated sculptural reliefs seen here are not always so common in the scene of Buddhist chedis. Other religions have developed their own form of temples such as the Chinese pagoda or the Indian gateway arches (toranas). The tallest chedi in Thailand measures 393 feet tall, located in Nakhon Pathom.