Description
Tee Phak Song Phu Dan Bok (ที่พักสงฆ์ภูดานบก) is an unofficial temple whose name means the Hard Mountain Land's Monk Residence. A the name suggests, the temple is located on a hard rocky hill, which has been formed from lava rock, similar to the nearby Dan Hin Kham Priest's Camp Site.
Tee Phak Song Phu Dan Bok have both monks and "mae chee" in residence. Mae chee (or Maechi) are females who have dedicated their lives to Buddhism, and (like a monk) live an ascetic life of celibacy, and shave their head. They wear a white robe, rather than the orange or light brown robe that a Thai monk wears.
On a grassy area on the rocky hill is a white statue of the Buddha wearing a bright yellow robe. The color yellow is traditionally the color of renunciation, and it can also symbolize royal patronage. There is a small rectangular wood pavilion on the left side of the hill, with a Buddha shrine at the end. At the top of the hill is a newer, modern looking Viharn, designed with a unique roof held up by large teak tree trunks.
Tee Phak Song Phu Dan Bok is a quiet, meditative place in the forest, with a small pagoda where one can meditate in peace and take in the natural surroundings. From one side of the temple grounds, you can get a view of the Phu Phan mountains, atop which is the famous temple tourist attraction known as Wat Tham Pha Daen (5 kilometers away). Also nearby is the highly revered forest temple Wat Pa Nong Phai, which once was home to monks who helped found the Forest Tradition of Thai Buddhism.
