Description
Wat Sangkhom Photharam (วัดสังคมโพธาราม) is a beautiful village temple that you'll pass on your way to Wat Tham Pha Daen or Praya Tao Ngoi. When you are leaving the city on Sakon Nakhon - Kalasin Road (213) and turn left onto Highway 2339, you'll see the temple just up the road about 100 meters on your left. The archway to the temple is beautifully designed and decorated with Devas (celestial angels) and the Buddha in a meditative pose at the top.
An unusual feature at this Sakon Nakhon temple is that it is the first one, so far, where we have seen statues of Erawan, the mythical 3-headed elephant. Erawan is the Thai name for Airawata, the elephant that carries Indra, the Hindu deity associated with lightning, storms, rains, rivers, and war. According to legend, Erawan was born from the same shell that Garuda was hatched, after Brahma sang hymns over the broken shell. The elephant is depicted in Thailand as having 3 or 33 heads, the largest depiction being the huge 3-headed Erawan shrine in Bangkok.
The Erwan statues at Wat Sangkhom Photharam are part of the Sima Stones that mark the boundary around the Ubosot (ordination halls), which makes their appearance even more unique. This also is the first Sakon Nakhon temple, in well over 50 visited, where we were approached by a monk speaking English. This was a nice surprise, as it is rare to meet a monk in Sakon Nakhon who can speak a bit of English.