Wat Pa Phu Kon
The forest temple Wat Pa Phu Kon (in Thai : วัด ป่า ภู ก้อน ) is a Buddhist temple ( wat ) in the Thai province of Udon Thani .
location
The Wat Pa Phu Kon is located in the village of Ban Na Kham (in Thai: บ้านนา คำ ใหญ่ ) in the municipality ( tambon ) Ban Kong ( บ้าน ก้อง ) in the district ( Amphoe ) Na Yung ( นา ยูง ), the northwestern part of the province Udon Thani in the northeast region of Thailand , the so-called Isan - not far from the provincial borders with Loei and Nong Khai . The distance from the city of Udon Thani is approximately 125 kilometers by road. In addition to an extensive temple complex in the valley, halfway up the mountainous landscape, on a hill there is a golden chedi , richly decorated with small tiles , and on another, slightly higher elevation, a temple complex, which was only completed in 2013, which with its turquoise-green roofs the face the environment and has developed into a popular pilgrimage site in a very short time. The large hall-like wihan accommodates a long 20 feet from Carrara marble manufactured lying Buddha .
Terrain and Buildings
Several groups of wild monkeys and peacocks live on the extensive mountainous terrain (around 1,000 Rai ), densely forested, especially with bamboos , and numerous rare plants, wildflowers and orchids grow .
The Chedi Prathom Rattanamahaburaphachan can be reached from a parking lot on a wide staircase of around 200 steps. An inclined elevator is currently under construction (March 2014). The building is located on a terrace, is about 25 meters high and inside there are rooms on two floors, which were furnished in honor of some once influential deceased monks and also exhibit items from their personal possessions. Both rooms are spanned by dome-shaped ceilings that are richly decorated - in gold on a red background. The Sri Lankan style chedi , richly adorned with small golden mosaic stones (which, however, are already severely peeled off), marble and granite, is based in its architectural style and its color design on the Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom - the highest Buddhist one Chedi worldwide. Relics of the Buddha are said to be kept inside .
A steeply rising road leads to Wat Pa Phu Kon , which is located further above . The entrance to the temple complex is guarded by two temple guards in Chinese style (lion dog figures), which - like the reclining Buddha inside the temple - are made of Carrara marble. Above the staircase, on a wide, artificially created and tiled level, stands the central Wihan, which is surrounded by several smaller buildings that house rooms for the monks , souvenir shops and restaurants . The level is completely built with a cellar; the rooms located there are opened on pilgrimage days for the numerous monks and pilgrims who can stay, sleep and eat there. Within the temple complex there is also a school, a hospital and a rearing and care station for endangered wild animals.
Building history and artistic design
The temple complex was built between 2010 and 2013. After the hilltop had been leveled and the basement built, the approximately 20 meters long reclining Buddha figure was first erected on a concrete base before the Wihan was built around it. For the largest Buddha made of white marble in Thailand, the responsible monks of the temple selected 43 marble blocks on site in Carrara , Italy , each weighing between 15 and 30 tons, then transported to Thailand, where they were joined and sculpted . (A photo documentation of the building history is exhibited in the Wihan.) After the figure was completed, the hall was built around it and finally the decoration of the base and walls was completed. The construction costs (the Buddha figure is said to have cost 50 million baht alone , the entire facility around 320 million baht) is said to have been donated by a single private person.
The base on which the Buddha figure rests is surrounded by large-format plates made of embossed , partially fire-gilded copper sheet , on which scenes from the life of the Buddha are depicted. The massive bronze entrance doors on all four sides of the rectangular hall are also provided with similar reliefs . On the inner walls, between and above the windows, there are carved reliefs. The Buddha lies on a pillow carved from the same material, has soft facial features and is produced in a unique artistic quality.
Web links
- Website of Wat Pa Phu Kom (in Thai)
- Short description and photos of Wat Pa Phu Kom on udon-news.com (in German)
Coordinates: 17 ° 55 '9.8 " N , 102 ° 7' 23.3" E