Description
Wat Nong Bua Yai (วัดหนองบัวใหญ่) translates to the Temple of the Great Lotus Swamp. It is among the most beautiful and charming of Sakon Nakhon's village temples. It was established in 1984 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, as the temple has a small Buddhist Studies school on the grounds, which includes Pali language education.
For those interested in Isaan temple architecture and Buddhist statues, Wat Nong Bua Yai is one of Sakon Nakhon's best kept secrets, a temple known largely only to locals in the surrounding village and the province's monks. The temple's Ubosot is decorated with elephant statues emerging from the exterior walls, and is guarded by sculptures of 4 lions (one in each direction) upholding the wheel of the dharma, and two large Kinnara (half human/half bird) statues.
The garden area features a sacred Bo tree planted in 1992 to commemorate King Bhumibol the Great's future Golden Jubilee (50th Anniversary on the Throne) in 1996. The tree appears behind a statue of the Buddha protected by the 7 headed Naga, Mucalinda, with the tail of the serpent wrapping around the base of the tree.
Wat Nong Bua Yai, as known as Wat Thung Son Tio Tho (วัดทุ่งศรติวทอ), has a small sacred stupa named Phra That Keeo Gaeo (พระธาตุเขียวแก้ว), which translates to Stupa of the Green Crystal Relic, designed in similar but smaller fashion to the grand Phra That Phanom, Isaan's most sacred stupa. A few meters away is a beautifully designed pavilion that houses Buddha statues in 7 iconic poses/postures.
The temple grounds include a small pond, adding to the lovely ambiance of this Buddhist temple, which is hidden away in a small village about 400 meters west of the Sakon Nakhon bus terminal and the popular Chai See Bamee Mala noodle shop.
See our full photo gallery of Wat Nong Bua Yai at: Sakon Nakhon Hidden Temples.
