Description
Wat Muang Sum Witthayalai (วัดม่วงสุมวิทยาลัย) is one of many small, village temples that you can visit while taking a trip to the Sakon Nakhon tourist attraction Praya Tao Ngoi, the large, sacred turtle sculpture. This particular temple is only about 4 kilometers from the great turtle, and can be easily spotted by the ornate, Naga dragon that guards the beautiful entrance/archway.
On the temple grounds, you will see a white building that has small cement pagodas positioned at the corners and the center spots. These are called Sima Stones, also referred to as Bai Sema (ใบเสมา). They are boundary stones which designate the sacred area around the Ubosot (ordination hall), and they can appear in various different shapes and sizes, sometimes being decorated with a dharma wheel.
As you walk around the Ubosot at Wat Muang Sum Witthayalai, you'll notice a female figure on two of the pillars. Female figures are often difficult to precisely identify at Sakon Nakhon temples. Often they are Thewadas or Devis (celestial angels). But the figure we see here is a Kinnari, a half-woman, half-bird figure with great musical ability who watches over people in times of trouble and danger. We can identify her as a Kinnari by looking at her claw-like feet and waist area which seems composed of feathers.
