Wat Nong Nok Chum (วัดหนองนกชุม)

Thai. ‘Swamp Bird Community Temple’. Name of a quiet Buddhist countryside temple in the tambon Thung Sai (ทุ่งทราย) of Sai Thong Watthana (ทรายทองวัฒนา) district, in Kamphaeng Phet province. The temple's buildings are mostly built out of wood, often using large trunks of exceptional trees as pillars, whereas some have been carved into images. In the south, stretching over the entire length of the compound, is a large water reservoir. The complex has two main entrance gates, one in the north and one in the east. The roofed north gate houses two gilded Buddha images, the one on the left standing in a pahng tawaai naet pose, i.e. with the arms crossed in front of the waist, the right hand resting on the left, whilst the one on the right is seated in the maravijaya pose. On either side of the gate is a three-headed naga, coiled on a wall of which the one on the right is decorated with bas-reliefs of a butterfly, different kinds of birds and flowers, whereas the one on the left displays mythical creatures, such as hong and kinnari, also in 3D. On either side of the roofed east gate is a nagamakara, also resting on a wall, which is embossed with aquatic animals, flowers and birds. In addition, on the left side, is a statue of a gajasingha, and on the right side, that of a singha —both white and adorned with gold. East of the north gate is an elongated sala-style open pavilion with three wooden Buddha images, two reclining Buddha images and one seated in the maravijaya pose, whereas behind the east gate is a long corridor that consists of a downward curved metal roof supported by large tree trunks. Many of the tree trunks used as pillars to the support the roofs have multiple burrs. To the the north of this covered walkway is a plaza with an open square-shaped pavilion, which houses four Buddha images that are seated back to back in the maravijaya pose. At the other end of the corridor is the temple's ubosot. In front of the square-shaped pavilion are two pillars topped with a golden nok hadsadi, i.e. a mythical bird with the head of an elephant, as well as three walking Buddha images in wood, and a green naga-head that protrudes from the ground. The temple's wihaan, located near the north gate, resembles a wooden chalet of which the northern staircase is flanked by a green naga on one side and a blue body of a snake or naga with the head of an elephant (fig.) on the other side. The latter is in Thai referred to as chang hua naak, i.e. ‘elephant-headed naga’ (fig.), which is officially known as chang patjay naaken (or chang patjay naak), literally ‘elephant [with the] essence of [a] naaken (or ‘elephant [with the] essence of [a] naga’), and which represents Vishnuphong, i.e. the rainmaking White Elephant (fig.) that occurs in the Wetsandornchadok or Vessantara jataka, for one. On the inside, the wihaan is also made of wood and the principal Buddha image it houses is of a dark chestnut colour (fig.). See MAP. 回