Wat Pak Kong

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 08.00 – 17.00

 

Wat Pak Kong is a local Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya monastic order, located at No. 15, Ban Pak Kong, Chiang Mai–Lamphun Road, Moo 6, Saraphi Subdistrict, Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province. It is an old community temple closely connected with Ban Pak Kong and the cultural corridor between Chiang Mai and Lamphun. The temple was built in 1859 and was formerly known as Wat Si Bun Rueang. It was initiated by Pho Thao Nan Ta and later developed with the support of Khru Ba Panya. Wat Pak Kong received its Wisungkhamsima on 2 August 1946, with the boundary measuring 40 meters wide and 80 meters long. The current abbot is Phra Khru Thaworn Sathu Wat Thitacharo.

 

Wat Pak Kong is located near the boundary area connected with Lamphun Province, giving the temple a distinctive role as a community temple on the Chiang Mai–Lamphun route. This road has long connected villages, temples, agricultural land, and local communities in Saraphi. Wat Pak Kong therefore functions not only as a village temple but also as a religious landmark in a settlement zone that links Chiang Mai and Lamphun culturally and geographically.

 

The name Pak Kong is tied to Ban Pak Kong, the local village. Pak can suggest a mouth, entrance, or point of access, while Kong may refer to a grouping or gathered place. Together, the name preserves a sense of local settlement and community identity. As the village came to be known as Ban Pak Kong, the temple also became the spiritual center associated with that name.

 

The history of Wat Pak Kong begins with an abandoned and overgrown religious site. In the past, the area was covered with dense vegetation and traces of an old sacred site. Pho Thao Nan Ta discovered a relic mound or sacred remains in the area and preserved the land to prevent damage. Later, Khru Ba Panya encountered the site, and Pho Thao Nan Ta invited him to help establish it as a temple. This founding story gives Wat Pak Kong a strong identity as a revived sacred place.

 

When news of the temple construction spread, villagers joined together to build the temple in 1859. The temple became a place where monks could reside, and Khru Ba Panya built the viharn, sala, and ubosot. The temple was first named Wat Si Bun Rueang before it later became known as Wat Pak Kong. This early history shows the typical character of a Lanna community temple built through local faith, monastic leadership, and collective support.

 

The granting of Wisungkhamsima on 2 August 1946 was an important milestone in the temple’s religious history. A Wisungkhamsima is the formal monastic boundary used for important Sangha rites, especially ordination and ecclesiastical ceremonies. Wat Pak Kong’s boundary measures 40 meters wide and 80 meters long, confirming its formal role as a complete Buddhist temple for the local community.

 

The temple land covers 4 rai, 1 ngan, and 5 square wah, with five monastic land plots totaling 4 rai, 1 ngan, and 3 square wah. The temple boundary is connected with public roads and the national highway, reflecting its position within both the village and the major transportation landscape. This makes Wat Pak Kong easy to access and useful as a community space for religious and public activities.

 

The main temple structures include a Lanna-style ordination hall, a two-storey sermon hall, a chanting hall, monks’ residence, temple courtyard, and community activity areas. These structures allow Wat Pak Kong to support formal monastic rites, merit-making, Dhamma listening, chanting, resident monks, and larger community events.

 

The Lanna-style ordination hall is the most important area for formal Sangha activities. Visitors should approach it respectfully because it is connected with the temple’s Wisungkhamsima and monastic discipline. The architectural form also reflects northern Thai religious aesthetics, emphasizing calmness, devotion, and ceremonial dignity.

 

The two-storey sermon hall is central to the temple’s community role. It is used for Dhamma listening, merit-making, ceremonies, and gatherings. In a Lanna village temple, a sermon hall is more than a multipurpose building. It is a shared social and religious space where villagers meet, support temple events, and preserve the habit of making merit together.

 

The chanting hall helps maintain the daily rhythm of temple life. Regular chanting, monastic routines, and religious activities make the temple active beyond major festivals. This gives Wat Pak Kong the character of a living Buddhist center rather than only a historic temple.

 

The monks’ residence supports the continuity of religious life. With resident monks, the temple can maintain daily rituals, receive alms, provide religious guidance, and conduct ceremonies for villagers. Wat Pak Kong therefore remains important in everyday community life.

 

Phra Khru Thaworn Sathu Wat Thitacharo serves as the current abbot of Wat Pak Kong. In a community temple, the abbot plays a key role in guiding faith, maintaining temple buildings, organizing merit-making activities, and sustaining the relationship between monks and villagers.

 

Wat Pak Kong is also associated with Phra Khru Siri Thamma Khosit, known as Khru Ba Singkaeo Yanawaro, a former abbot highly respected by local devotees. His statue was enshrined at the front of the temple so that devotees can pay respect and remember his contribution to the temple and community. This adds an important devotional layer to the temple’s history.

 

The temple has also played a role in public benefit beyond strictly religious activities. In the history of Saraphi Hospital, Phra Khru Siri Thamma Khosit, then abbot of Wat Pak Kong, together with local residents from Saraphi District and Umong Subdistrict in Lamphun, supported a community robe-offering campaign to help build and expand hospital facilities. This reflects the wider social role of the temple in community welfare.

 

Today Wat Pak Kong is known as a shady and spacious community temple. It is suitable for merit-making, cultural activities, public-benefit events, and community exercise. This broad use makes the temple a shared public space where religion, health, community relations, and local culture meet.

 

Religious activities associated with Wat Pak Kong include Buddhist holy days, Buddhist Lent, the end of Buddhist Lent, Kathin, robe-offering ceremonies, Songkran, elder-respect customs, Yi Peng, and village merit-making. These events bring villagers together to make merit, offer food, listen to Dhamma, and support the temple.

 

The main highlights of Wat Pak Kong for visitors include its revival from an abandoned religious site, the story of Pho Thao Nan Ta and Khru Ba Panya, its former name Wat Si Bun Rueang, the Lanna-style ordination hall, the two-storey sermon hall, the chanting hall, the monks’ residence, its spacious grounds, and the statue of a respected former abbot.

 

The temple atmosphere is calm, spacious, and community-oriented. Visitors should allow around 30 to 60 minutes to pay respect, observe the ordination hall, sermon hall, chanting hall, monks’ residence, courtyard, and devotional areas. Morning or late afternoon is generally more comfortable for walking around the temple.

 

Visitors should dress modestly, speak softly, remove shoes before entering sacred buildings, avoid touching Buddha images or sacred objects unnecessarily, avoid climbing or leaning on temple structures, and avoid disturbing monks or villagers during ceremonies. If community exercise or local activities are taking place, visitors should still maintain respectful behavior within the temple grounds.

 

Getting There is possible by taking the Chiang Mai–Lamphun Road from Chiang Mai city toward Saraphi District, continuing through Saraphi Subdistrict to Ban Pak Kong, Moo 6. The temple is near the area connected with Lamphun Province. Private car, rental car, or local hired transport is the most convenient option.

 

A practical cultural route can begin at Wat Pak Kong and continue to Wat Chang Khoeng, Wat Saraphi, Wat Ko Pracham Hong, Wat Hong Kok, Wat Mongkhon Wanaram, Wat Ton Phueng, and Wat Kong Sai. Travelers who want to extend the route can continue to the Wiang Kum Kam area and nearby temples in Nong Phueng. This route helps visitors understand Saraphi through old temples, the Chiang Mai–Lamphun road, borderland communities, and living Lanna traditions.

 

Overall, Wat Pak Kong is valuable for its history, religious continuity, community faith, and public role. Built in 1859, formerly known as Wat Si Bun Rueang, associated with Pho Thao Nan Ta and Khru Ba Panya, granted Wisungkhamsima on 2 August 1946, and still active as a community temple, Wat Pak Kong is a meaningful stop for visitors interested in Lanna temples and the quieter cultural side of Saraphi District.

 

 

A: Wat Pak Kong is located at No. 15, Ban Pak Kong, Chiang Mai–Lamphun Road, Moo 6, Saraphi Subdistrict, Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province 50140. It is a local Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya monastic order.

 

A: Wat Pak Kong was formerly known as Wat Si Bun Rueang before it was renamed after Ban Pak Kong.

 

A: Wat Pak Kong was built in 1859 and received its Wisungkhamsima on 2 August 1946.

 

A: Pho Thao Nan Ta initiated the temple after preserving an old sacred site, and Khru Ba Panya later helped establish the temple as Wat Si Bun Rueang before it became Wat Pak Kong.

 

A: Visitors can see the Lanna-style ordination hall, two-storey sermon hall, chanting hall, monks’ residence, spacious temple grounds, and devotional areas connected with respected former monks.

 

A: The abbot of Wat Pak Kong is Phra Khru Thaworn Sathu Wat Thitacharo.

 

A: Wat Pak Kong is open daily from 08.00 to 17.00.

 

A: Nearby places include Wat Chang Khoeng, Wat Saraphi, Wat Ko Pracham Hong, Wat Hong Kok, Wat Mongkhon Wanaram, Wat Kong Sai, and the wider Wiang Kum Kam cultural route.