{{Short description|Buddhist park in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand}} {{More citations needed|date=April 2016}} [[File:Phutthamonthon03.jpg|thumb|Buddha statue in the [[Leela attitude]] at Phutthamonthon]] [[File:Phutthamonthon Buddha.JPG|thumb|Buddhist monks at Phutthamonthon]]
'''Phutthamonthon''' ({{Langx|th|พุทธมณฑล}}, {{IPA|th|pʰút.tʰā.mōn.tʰōn|pron}}; also spelled '''Buddha Monthon'''; from [[Sanskrit]] ''Buddha Máṇḍala'', 'Buddha's sphere') is a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] park in [[Salaya, Thailand|Salaya subdistrict]] of [[Phutthamonthon district]], [[Nakhon Pathom province]], [[Thailand]]. The park is situated just outside the western border of [[Bangkok]]. It is highlighted by a {{convert|15.87|m|ft|abbr=off}} high statue of [[The Buddha|Gautama Buddha]] by [[Silpa Bhirasri|Corrado Feroci]].
The park was created in 1957 (the year 2500 in the [[Thai solar calendar|Thai Buddhist Era]]) on the basis of an idea of Thailand's prime minister, [[Plaek Pibulsonggram|Phibunsongkhram]]. The park covers an area of about 400 [[hectare]]s, which in traditional Thai units is 2500 [[Rai (area)|rai]]. Construction started 29 July 1955, and the park was inaugurated on the [[Vaisakh Bucha]] day, 13 May 1957.<ref name=TAT>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/phutthamonthon|title=Phutthamonthon|last=|first=|date=|website=Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)|access-date=2022-12-11}}</ref>
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]], 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'' ({{langx|th|พระศรีศากยะทศพลญาณ ประธานพุทธมณฑลสุทรรศน์}}, literally 'the Graceful Statue of the [[Gautama Buddha|Shakyamuni]] who was of the [[Ten Powers of Buddha|Tenfold Power]], the Presiding Buddha of the Beautiful Phutthamonthon') by King [[Bhumibol Adulyadej]]. Around the statue are sites memorialising the four main stations in the life of [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]: his birth symbolized by seven [[Sacred lotus|lotus]] flowers, his [[Bodhi|enlightenment]] under the [[Bodhi tree]], his first sermon, and his death. Another important building is the marble viharn, which contains the entire [[Tripitaka|Buddhist canon]] engraved in 1418 marble stelas.
In July 2017, a group of [[smooth-coated otter]]s was spotted in the park. They are believed to be descendants of the otter population that inhabited this area before it was developed into the park it is today.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thairath.co.th/news/local/central/1021096|title=พบ ‘ฝูงนาก’ ในพุทธมณฑล เผ่าพันธุ์สุดท้าย ที่ยังเหลือรอด! วอน ‘อนุรักษ์’ไว้|language=thai|date=2017-07-31|accessdate=2025-10-21|work=Thairath}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Buddhamondon}} {{Coord|13|46|34|N|100|19|15|E|type:landmark_region:TH|display=title}} {{Authority control}} {{NakhonPathom-geo-stub}} {{Thailand-struct-stub}} [[Category:Buddhism in Thailand]] [[Category:Outdoor sculptures in Thailand]] [[Category:Geography of Nakhon Pathom province]] [[Category:Parks in Thailand]] [[Category:1957 establishments in Thailand]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Nakhon Pathom province]] [[Category:Colossal Buddha statues in Thailand]]