Description
Ban Phon Bok Monastery (สำนักสงบ้านโพนบก) is a "samnak song" or unofficial Thai temple located only a few minutes from Wat Tham Phu Pha Yon. On Google Maps the temple is listed as Phu That Monastery (สำนักสงฆ์ภูธาตุ) and includes misleading photographs that make it appear like it's located on a mountain.
However, this monastery is not a Sakon Nakhon mountain temple, and we believe the name Phu That Monastery is incorrect. There is signage on the beautiful new entrance archway that says Ban Phon Bok (บ้านโพนบก), the name of the surrounding area, so we are currently trying to get the name changed on Google to Ban Phon Bok Monastery.
This little monastery, which is sometimes also referred to as a "priest's camp" in English, provides a beautiful view of the nearby Phu Phan Mountains. It has a blue-roofed Viharn (worship hall) that seems to have been built recently, along with a very old wooden Viharn which houses a uniquely designed statue of the Buddha, as well as a small statue of Nang Kwak, a mythological figure not often seen at Thai temples.
Nang Kwak is (นางกวัก) is the Goddess of Wealth and the Patron Saint of Merchants in Thailand. She predates the arrival of Buddhism in the country, and is often referred to as "Miss Inviting" because her hand is held up in a beckoning gesture, symbolizing an invitation to luck, fortune, and wealth.
