Description
Wat Si Thammarat (วัดศรีธรรมราช) is famous locally for once being home of Thailand's only long-haired monk, Luang Pu Sorn Paphassaro (หลวงปู่สอน ปภสฺสโร), who was born in 1874 and died in 1964 at the age of 90. The temple has a bronze statue on the grounds honoring the life of Luang Pu Sorn, an ascetic Isaan monk who lived at the temple for much of his monastic life. While Luang Pu Sorn Paphassaro is well known in Sakon Nakhon, especially among Buddhists in the Phanna Nikhom District, he is not known by many outside of the province.
Nearby the statue of Luang Pu Sorn is a bronze statue of King Naresuan the Great, who ruled Siam from 1590 until his death in 1605. He is one of Thailand's most revered monarchs. Along with the bronze statue there is a sacred chant written on the sign which worshipers say out loud to seek his blessing.
Wat Si Thammarat is also noted for having a delightful collection of straw puppet sculptures on the temple grounds, including an ape, caterpillar, children, tiger, monkey, pig, and an elephant which is positioned just outside the ornate entrance gate. The cheerful sculptures, made of rice straw attached to a steel mesh frame, provide a harmonious balance to the strict, ascetic life demonstrated by Luang Pu Sorn Paphassaro.
Wat Si Thammarat is one of Sakon Nakhon's older temples, having been built in the early 1800s. There are a number of old stone sculptures on the grounds, including a laterite pedestal for a Dharma wheel, and small laterite sculptures of animals such as elephants. The temple is next to the Oun Canal Waterway in Phanna Nikhom, about 25 minutes from the Sakon Nakhon airport. It's only about 10 minutes from Wat Si Bun Reuang, which has a striking gold statue of Luang Pu Sorn Paphassaro in its temple forest.
