Description
Wat Chaeng Saeng Arun (วัดแจ้งแสงอรุณ) is a Royal Monastery (พระอารามหลวง) in the center of Sakon Nakhon city, located about 500 meters from Blue Bica Coffee. This downtown temple shouldn't be confused with the identically named Wat Chaeng Saeng Arun temple in Phanna Nikhom, which is notable for housing perhaps the largest collections of Buddhist and Hindu statues in Sakon Nakhon, and thus a must-see temple when visiting the province.
The Wat Chaeng Saeng Arun city temple is known for its beautiful, white jade statue of the Buddha. However, the white jade Buddha is housed in a small pavilion that is often locked, so you may or may not be able to see the statue up close. The temple also has on display the mythical Mom guardian figure, which only a few Sakon Nakhon temples have, such as Wat Phon Ngam and Wat Samakkhi Tham. Here the Mom statues, which are part lion and part dragon, are guarding the entrance to the gorgeous white Ubosot with gold spire.
It usually isn't easy to find a parking spot close to Wat Chaeng Saeng Arun, as it is located in an area surrounded by small sois with no parking on the streets. So you might want to think ahead what other places you want to visit in the area, and then park in a spot that provides you with a good starting point for a downtown walking tour. For example, you might first park at the nearby House Number 1712 for lunch, and then start your walkabout.
Lastly, note that when the "j" sound in Thai is transliterated into English, Thais often use "ch" instead. And that is the case with Wat Chaeng Saeng Arun. When pronouncing the name of this temple, you are closer to correct if you say "wat jaeng saeng aroon" (the oo sound being the same as in book).
