Description
About 500 meters before you get to Wat Santi Sangkharam, you will see Wat Si Rattanaram (วัดศรีรัตนาราม) on the right side. It is hard to miss if you look for the large white Buddha sculpture on the temple grounds. Another thing distinctive about this temple is that it appears to be surrounded by a very old, historically significant, laterite wall. Laterite is a reddish clayey material that is rich in iron and hardens when dry. It was used in a lot of building during ancient times when the Cambodian Kingdom ruled this area, and can be seen in such temple ruins as Phra That Phu Pkek and Phrathat Narai Cheng Weng.
Above the Ubosot at Wat Si Rattanaram, you'll see a curious representation of a demon figure eating a gold disc. This is the demi-god Phra Rahu, who supposedly is to blame for solar and lunar eclipses in Thailand. Wishing to be immortal, Phra Rahu stole some eternal elixir, but he was spotted by the sun and moon. They told the god Vishnu, who quickly chopped him in half before he could fully swallow the potion. Only his head and arms now live forever. He continually seeks revenge on the sun and moon, occasionally catching them and eating them. But because he has no body, they fall right back out.
Note that there are three Wat Si Rattanaram temples in Sakon Nakhon, one in Sawang Daen Din, one in Phanna Nikhom, and one in Amphur Mueang. The one we are describing here is in Phanna Nikhom, and about 45 minutes from the Sakon Nakhon Airport.
