Description
Wat Klang Si Chiang Mai (วัดกลางศรีเชียงใหม่) is a lakeside Sakon Nakhon temple on the banks of Nong Han. It is located in between Wat Pa Eo Kan and Wat Maha Phom Phothirat in the centuries old community of Ban Tha Wat, which was founded in an area scattered with Khmer era ruins. The temple is thus home to a small museum of Khmer artifacts, including pottery, metal tools, spears, swords, axes, and knives, which are thought to be upwards to 3,500 years old. The community also holds yearly traditional boat races opposite the temples (see video below).
As you enter Wat Klang Si Chiang Mai, you will be greeted by a row of Buddha statues, the Buddha's head shielded by a 7-headed Naga serpent. This is the Naga king known as Muchalinda, who lifted the Buddha above the floods and shielded him from the storm while he sought enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. There are additional Buddha/Naga statues on the shoreline, facing Nong Han lake, which (along with the Mekong River) is considered a home to the mythical Naga, and why Sakon Nakhon is sometimes called a Naga City.
As you enter Wat Klang Si Chiang Mai, you will also see a roped off yard to your left. This is an area where once stood and ancient Viharn (Ordination Hall). However, all that is left of the ancient structure are the Sema boundary stones, which are said to be from the Dvaravti period (6th-11th centuries), when the Mon people controlled much of what is now Central Thailand. Today, the Mon are a major ethnic group in Myanmar, and a minor ethnic group in Thailand.
