Description
Wat Doi Dhammachedi (วัดดอยธรรมเจดีย์) is a highly revered Sakon Nakhon temple with large forest grounds and a stunning Chedi which serves as the focal point of the sacred area. Visitors should be especially careful and reverential when visiting Wat Doi Dhammachedi, for as the sign says at the entrance วัดไม่ใช่สถานที่ท่องเที่ยว (this temple is not a tourist attraction). Thus you should be very quiet when walking the temple grounds, wear polite attire, and be discreet when taking any photos. There is many wooded acres to walk around, so visitors should use this opportunity to meditate on life and the beauty of the surroundings.
Wat Doi Dhammachedi (which means "The Hill Temple of the Dhamma Chedi") is located 30km south of Sakon Nakhon city. When you see the entrance sign, you want to stay to the right. You'll travel a little ways down the road, and then have to hike your way up a paved path on the right to reach the Chedi (Buddhist stupa). About 100 meters past the path to the Chedi, you will see a beautiful sandstone hill on the right. If you walk up the stones, you'll arrive at large Reclining Buddha, a beautiful pagoda (or Ubosot) built into a rock facade, and a gold seated Buddha attended to by a monkey and elephant.
There are a number of monk's living quarters on this rocky hill, which is another reason you must be quiet and reverential when walking through the area. Should you see a monk, do not approach them yourself. You can look toward them and acknowledge their presence with a smile and elevated wai greeting. And should they approach you to talk, the proper verbal greeting is not the usual "Sawat dee khrap/kha" but rather "sah-too" (สาธุ), which is a greeting of reverence/respect and also the Thai word for "Amen!".
Further along, you will find ponds, and many additional forest grounds which can be walked around. The vast amount of wooded area which can be walked around is similar to that of Wat Kham Pramong (วัดคำประมง), which is home to a free alternative Cancer treatment center.
The history of Wat Doi Dhammachedi can be traced back to 1946, when Luang Pu Kongma Chirapunyo (หลวงปู่กงมา จิรปุญโญ) settled outside of a tiger cave in the area, where he meditated until the tiger abandoned the cave and allowed him to use the cave for his meditation, shielded from the weather. Later, Luang Pu Kongma Chirapunyo (หลวงปู่กงมา จิรปุญโญ) built a temple on the land and became the first abbot, followed by Luang Por Ban Thanakro (หลวงพ่อแบน ธนากโร) who oversaw the continued development of the temple grounds.
