Nakhon Pathom

Only 56km west of Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom is often referred to by Thais as the oldest city in Thailand - the name, in fact, is derived from the Pali 'Nagara Pathama', meaning 'First City'. At one time it functioned as the centre of the Dvaravati kingdom, a loose collection of Mon city states that flourished between the 6th and 11th centuries AD in Mae Nam Chao Phraya valley. Some historians speculate that the area may have been inhabited before India's Asokan period (3rd century BC), as there is a theory that Buddhist missionaries from India visited Nakhon Pathom at that time. Although one could point out that other areas of Thailand were inhabited earlier, Nakhon Pathom may very well be the longest continually inhabited place within the country's current borders.

Today's Nakhon Pathom is a typical provincial Thai city whose only visible link to its glorious past is the famous Phra Pathom Chedi.