Phutthamonthon (, ; also spelled Buddha Monthon; from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

''Buddha Máṇḍala'', 'Buddha's sphere') is a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

park in Salaya subdistrict of Phutthamonthon district,

Nakhon Pathom province Nakhon Pathom (, ,Pronunciation) is one of the central Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Suphan Buri province, Suphan Buri, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, Ayutthaya ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. The park is situated just outside the western border of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. It is highlighted by a high statue of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

by Corrado Feroci. The park was created in 1957 (the year 2500 in the Thai Buddhist Era) on the basis of an idea of Thailand's prime minister, Phibunsongkhram. The park covers an area of about 400

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s, which in traditional Thai units is 2500

rai (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

. Construction started 29 July 1955, and the park was inaugurated on the Vaisakh Bucha day, 13 May 1957. After a long pause, construction on the park resumed in 1976. The main Buddha statue was built after that time. Already designed in 1955 by art professor

Silpa Bhirasri Silpa Bhirasri (; ; ), born Corrado Feroci (15 September 1892 – 14 May 1962), was an Italian-born Thai sculptor. He is considered the father of modern art in Thailand and was instrumental in the founding of today's Silpakorn University. Li ...

, the statue was cast in 1981. The Leela Attitude statue, 15.875 m high and at the centre of the park, was given the name ''Phra Si Sakkaya Thotsaphonlayan Prathan Phutthamonthon Suthat'' (, literally 'the Graceful Statue of the Shakyamuni who was of the Tenfold Power, the Presiding Buddha of the Beautiful Phutthamonthon') by King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

. Around the statue are sites memorialising the four main stations in the life of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

: his birth symbolized by seven lotus flowers, his

enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

under the Bodhi tree, his first sermon, and his death. Another important building is the marble viharn, which contains the entire

Buddhist canon There are several Buddhist canons, which refers to the various scriptural collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures or the various Buddhist scriptural canons.

engraved in 1418 marble stelas.

References

{{Thailand-struct-stub Buddhism in Thailand Outdoor sculptures in Thailand Geography of Nakhon Pathom province Parks in Thailand 1957 establishments in Thailand Tourist attractions in Nakhon Pathom province Colossal Buddha statues in Thailand