Description
Wat Si Wararam (วัดศรีวราราม) is a rural Sakon Nakhon temple in the village of Nong Lat. You will likely pass this temple if you are traveling to Wat Tha Wang Hin, which is about 4 kilometers away. It is also is very close to the large Wai (and Nong Wai) reservoirs.
Wat Si Wararam has a traditional archway for its entrance gate. But one interesting aspect is that the Buddha statue placed within the arch is backdropped by a Bodhi tree suggestive of a phallic symbol. The Bodhi tree is the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, and occasionally Buddhist artists will paint the tree in a manner suggestive of a phallus because it is sometimes viewed as a symbol of fertility, one which replaced the more explicit phallic symbols found in the Hindu religion. And, in Thailand, both Buddhism and Hinduism are intertwined in the art and statues found at temples.
Wat Si Wararam is currently building a gorgeous Ubosot that is only partially completed. The new Ubosot is front of the temple's Viharn, which (when we visited) had just received a new main Buddha statue. The sculpture was still wrapped in an orange cover, held in place by holy strings that were blessed by the monks. We will have to return at a later date to view the unveiled sacred statue.
When you pass through the temple's archway, you'll see an grassy, tree-lined area on your left where is found an unusual Buddha statue, unusual both in its design and coloring. The statue is placed in front of an old, sacred tree, and is a spot where broken small Buddhist figurines are placed for safe-keeping. The statue sits on a concrete pedestal with a bas relief carving of the Garuda, the half human, half bird figure, which is a national symbol of Thailand.
