Description
Wat Sri Pon Meuang (วัดศรีโพนเมือง) is a Sakon Nakhon city temple which tends to be overshadowed its more famous neighbor Wat Phra That Choeng Chum., which is located about 1 kilometer east. However, Wat Sri Pon Meuang is a notable city temple in its own right, and one of the oldest temples in the downtown area, with a history that stretches back to 1888.
Wat Sri Pon Meuang was home to the famous local monk Luang Pu Pranom Wiriyo (หลวงปู่ประนอม วิริโย) or Phra Khru Sakon Kananurak (พระครูสกลคณานุรักษ์). He was the abbot of Wat Sri Pon Meuang for decades before his death in 2022 at the age of 87.
In his early years as a monk Luang Pu Pranom Wiriyo studied under the famous Sakon Nakhon monks Ajarn Fun Ajaro and Phra Ajahn Wan Uttamo, the legendary bulletproof monk, who walked unscathed through soldier gunfire in the 1970s. Ajarn Fun Ajaro spent time at Wat Sri Pon Meuang, and the first sacred coins bearing his likeness were made here.
There is a charming gold Buddha statue in the worship hall under the Ubosot. The chubby cherub like cheeks of the smiling Buddha are unique. It sits next to an antique smiling bronze Buddha that was created during the temple's early history.
If you are feeling hungry after visiting Wat Sri Pon Meuang, there is a wonderful, family-run, Japanese restaurant just a few hundred meters further down the road named Keshiki Relax.
