Nakhon Chaisri

Nakhon Chaisri was an ancient centre of the Dvaravati world in the lower central plain. A moat surrounded the old city of Nakhon Pathom, whose Buddhist monuments included Phra Prathon Chedi near its centre and Phra Pathom farther west. Sculptures, inscriptions and votive tablets reveal the spread of Buddhism and contacts with India. The settlement was once connected to maritime routes, although the coastline and waterways of the plain changed over time. Phra Pathom remained a revered sacred place during the Ayutthaya period.