Phra Pathom Chedi

Phra Pathom Chedi (Nakhon Pathom Province), said to be the tallest Buddhist monument in the world, was our (me and my parents) first stop before heading towards Kanchanaburi some two weeks ago. The chedi supposedly attracts Buddhist pilgrims all over the world. In fact, I saw a few pilgrims perform a particular ritual of walking around the circular structure three times carrying around, in a prayerful pose, what seemed to be a lotus stem. Each 'revolution' around the chedi represents a prayer offered to each of the following in this strict order: (1) Buddha; (2) The monk of the highest order in the temple; and (3) all of the pilgrim's ancestors.

Buddhist pilgrim performing the ritual of '3 revolutions' around the Chedi.