Chedi Phukhao Thong ( th, เจดีย์ภูเขาทอง) is a 50-metre '' chedi'', or

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

tower, in the village of Phukhao Thong near Ayutthaya in central

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. Visitors can climb as far a landing halfway up the ''chedi'', from which the surrounding

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

fields and the town of Ayutthaya can be seen. In 2014 it was possible for the public to visit the shrine inside the central tower.

History

In 1569, having taken Ayutthaya, King

Bayinnaung , image = File:Bayinnaung.JPG , caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar , reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581 , coronation = 11 January 1551 at Toung ...

Hongsawadi Bago (formerly spelt Pegu; , ), formerly known as Hanthawaddy, is a city and the capital of the Bago Region in Myanmar. It is located north-east of Yangon. Etymology The Burmese name Bago (ပဲခူး) is likely derived from the Mon langua ...

(now part of

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

) built a large ''chedi'', next to the Buddhist temple of Wat Phukhao Thong, to commemorate his victory. The chedi was never completed, only the base was ever constructed when in 1587, Prince

Naresuan King Naresuan the Great (( th, สมเด็จพระนเรศวรมหาราช, , ) or Sanphet II ( th, สรรเพชญ์ที่ ๒), ( my , နရဲစွမ် (သို့) ဗြနရာဇ်); 1555/1556 – ...

, to commemorate his victory over the Burmese in 1584 following Ayutthaya's liberation from Burma, decided to build a Thai-style chedi over the base of the still-unfinished chedi. Over the next two centuries the ''chedi'' fell into disrepair. In a restoration during the reign of King Boromakot (ruled 1733–1758) a new ''chedi'' in Thai style, having a square plan with indented corners, was built on the base of the ruin.Information panels in the grounds of Wat Phukhao Thong, written by Thai Fine Arts Department, transcribed 2008 The adjacent temple, founded by King Ramesuan in 1387, is still in use.

References

Buddhist temples in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province Buildings and structures in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province {{Thailand-struct-stub