Description
Wat Ban Dong Noi Samakkhi Tham (วัดบ้านดงน้อยสามัคคีธรรม) is a Sakon Nakhon temple that you will pass on the left when making your final approach to the temple tourist attraction Wat Tham Pha Daen. If you look for Wat Ban Dong Noi Samakkhi Tham on Google Maps, you'll find lots of photos of Wat Tham Pha Daen, rather than photos of this small temple, which can cause some confusion.
The gallery of incorrect photos is not surprising, because few people visit Wat Ban Dong Noi Samakkhi Tham except local villagers. However, this is a nice neighborhood temple, with a quiet atmosphere. Interestingly, the name of the temple isn't actually Wat Ban Dong Noi Samakkhi Tham, even though that is the name you'll find on Google Maps and websites.
Ban Dong Noi is the name of the village in which this temple is located, and Samakkhi Tham means fellowship. Wat Ban Dong Noi Samakkhi Tham is just the colloquial name that locals often use to refer to the temple. The genuine name of the temple (as seen on the entrance gate and adjacent signage) is Wat Chiang Thong Dee Wanaram (วัดเชียงทองดีวนาราม), even though you can find no reference to that name online.
This temple has the quaint feeling of a rural "samnak song" or monastery, with an old wooden Viharn still standing on the woodsy grounds. If you are interested in rural Thai temples, we would highly recommend traveling about 2 kilometers to the nearby Dan Hin Kham Priest's Camp Site, built on a lava hill with a curious stone outcropping, and Wat Pa Nong Phai on 700 rai of forests.
