Description
Tham Pha Chan Daeng Priest's Camp Site (สำนักสงฆ์ถ้ำผาจันทร์แดง) is a Buddhist monastery or "samnak song," which shouldn't be confused with the similarly named monastery Wat Tham Pha Chan. Both places are forest hideaways in Sakon Nakhon and not well-known by anyone except the locals in the immediate vicinity.
The Thai phrase "tham pha chan daeng" translates to the "red moon forest cave," and there is a cave at this monk's campsite. It was once common for Thai monks to stay in caves when walking the forests of Sakon Nakhon, a practice which continued up through the 1980s. Then small monasteries or campsites were eventually built around many of these caves, with small wooden "kutis" providing shelter instead of the caves.
Tham Pha Chan Daeng Priest's Camp Site is located just off the road that leads to Tad Hai Yai Reservoir, and not far from the Phu Phan Royal Development Center. A narrow dirt road leads to the area where the monks live, and dead ends in front of a tall mound with a walking stick Buddha statue at the top.
The monks here have spent quality time developing the space into a spiritual oasis, with beautiful plantings and landscaped grounds.
