Description
Wat Phai Lom (วัดไผ่ล้อม) is a Thai temple whose name translates to the Temple Surrounded by Bamboo. However, we didn't see much in the way of bamboo at this temple, but only trees. It may be that the bamboo has been progressively cleared away over the years, as bamboo grows like a weed in Thailand and can quickly take over a place.
Note that the last word in Wat Phai Lom is pronounced "lawm" (ล้อม) rather than "lom". It's good to keep in mind that Thai words transliterated into English with an "o" in the middle are sometimes pronounced with an "aw" sound. The only way you can know for sure is to look for the Thai letter อ within the word, which is pronounced as "aw".
At Wat Phai Lom (วัดไผ่ล้อม) they've adorned the Sim's roof with a metal ornamentation that glittering reflects the sunlight. In the center of the roof's gable is the 3 headed elephant named Erawan, who in Hindu mythology is ridden by the god Indra, the King of the lesser gods and deities.
Near the Sim (Ubosot) is a unique pathway lined with bells which leads to a small pagoda filled with the temple's most sacred statues. Beside the pagoda is a garden area with a rather unique angel figure which we have not seen before at a Buddhist temple in Thailand.
Wat Phai Lom is located in the Phanna Nikhom district of Sakon Nakhon, less than a kilometer away from Wat Sitthi Bang Khom, where the famous Thai monk Ajarn Fun Acharo was ordained, and less than a kilometer from Wat Pa Thana Silakhun Ban Rai, with its seemingly abandoned cemetery forest.
It should not be confused with the more famous Wat Phai Lom temple in Nakon Phathom, which like its Sakon Nakhon sister temple doesn't actually have much in the way of bamboo anymore on the temple grounds. The name was derived from the fact that monks had to clear a bamboo grove to build the temple.
