Description
Wat Pa Na Kham (วัดป่านาคำ) is located about 2 kilometers after you pass by Namtok Kham Hom and finish the winding mountain road into Sakon Nakhon. The temple name can be translated as the Forest Temple of the Rice Paddy, which seems appropriate, as there are rice paddies nearby and the temple itself is undertaking a Royal Initiative Plant Genetic Conservation Project under the direction of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
When you enter the temple gate, you'll see a wooded area on the left, filled with a wide variety of different trees, all of which are labeled with tags (in English and Thai) identifying the type of tree. This is the Royal conservation project in which the temple has taken part.
A you walk further into the temple grounds, you'll notice a new colorful pagoda under construction, which appears will be completed soon. There is a charming, rustic Viharn built with bricks and dharma wheel in the gable, inside of which is Buddha iconography in front of colorful mural of a wilderness scene.
The grounds at Wat Pa Na Kham are extremely well tended to, with a well chosen selection of trees and shrubbery. And there is an open-air pagoda with additional Buddhist iconography and photos of revered Forest monks, including Ajahn Mun, whose image is frequently seen in Sakon Nakhon temples.
