Phra Pathom Chedi is the highest stupa in the world with a height of 127 m. It is located in the town Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Maintenance is a mega project by itself looking at the amount of scaffolding needed to cover the chedi. Scaffolding is a temporary framework used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes (termed tubes in Britain), although it can be made out of other materials. Bamboo is still used frequently in Asia.

The name Phra Pathom Chedi means Holy chedi (stupa) of the beginning. The stupa at the location is first mentioned in scriptures of the year 675, however archaeological findings date a first stupa to the 4th century. In the 11th century it was overbuilt with a Khmer style prang, which was later overgrown by the jungle. The ruin was visited several times by the later King Mongkut during his time as a monk, and after his coronation he ordered the building of a new and more magnificent chedi at the site. After 17 years of construction it was finished in 1870, and the population of nearby Nakhon Chai Si was ordered to move to the newly created town around the chedi.