Description
Wat Udom Mongkon (วัดอุดมมงคล) is a small village temple located off Highway 2339, a couple kilometers past the highly revered Thai temple Wat Pa Nong Phai. This village temple shouldn't be confused with Wat Pa Udom Tham Mongkhon, which is located in the Phon Na Kaeo district of Sakon Nakhon, on the eastern side on Nong Han Lake, not far from the border with Nakhon Phanom.
Wat Udom Mongkon translates to the Temple of Plentiful Abundance, the words "udom" and "mongkon" having similar rich meanings. However, the abundance is not of material things but spiritual ones, as the temple is fittingly quite simple and relaxed, with none of the extravagance one sometimes sees at Thailand's temples. For example, the Wat Udom Mongkon temple (spelled Wat Udom Mongkol) in Chachoengsao is stunning.
Note the photos you see of Wat Udom Mongkon on Google Maps are not correct. You'll see a woman walking through a large, rocky crevice. That was likely taken somewhere several kilometers away, up in the Phu Phan Mountains, perhaps somewhere close to the nearby mountain temple Wat Tham Pha Daen.
Wat Udom Mongkon is not in the mountains but on the grassy lowlands. The temple has an old wooden Viharn, but now is in the process of building a new one that looks like it will be quite beautiful when finished. There is also a crematorium building on the premises, which looks rather newly built. Like so many village temples in Thailand, which previously had limited financial resources, the increasing wealth of the community it serves has allowed them to undertake new construction.
