Thailand

Central Thailand / Ayutthaya / Chedi Phu Khao Thong

This Chedi, usually called the "Golden Mount Pagoda", is some 80m (262ft) high and is on Ayutthaya's northern outskirts. Purportedly, this pagoda was built in Mon (Burmese) style by King Bhueng Noreng of Burma to commemorate the Burmese 1569 invasion of Ayutthaya. When Ayutthaya's independence was restored by King Naresuan in 1584, the pagoda was remodelled in Thai style. In 1956, the government placed a golden ball, weighting 2.5kg (6lbs), on top of the pagoda to celebrate the Buddhist religion's 2,500th anniversary.