Wat Nong Wuea Daeng

Wat Nong Wuea Daeng is located at No. 2, Moo 4, Ban Nong Wuea Daeng, Tambon Na Yang, Sop Prap District, Lampang Province, 52170. According to a local legend passed down through generations, there was once a large pond to the west of the village. A herd of red oxen would regularly come to drink from this pond, and no one knew where they came from. This mysterious and awe-inspiring sight led the villagers to name their settlement “Ban Nong Wuea Daeng,” meaning “the village of the red oxen pond.”

 

During that period, a monk named Phra Ta Kham Photiko was on pilgrimage from Mae Sot District in Tak Province. The villagers invited him to stay near the pond, and in 1941 (B.E. 2484), they built a small monastic residence for him to spend the rains retreat. Over time, this residence developed into a formal temple.

 

Wat Nong Wuea Daeng belongs to the Mahanikaya sect of Thai Buddhism. The temple grounds span 2 rai, 2 ngan, and 40 square wah. To the north, the land borders rice fields approximately 1 sen and 5 wa away. The temple was built with strong and lasting structures and was officially registered as Wat Nong Wuea Daeng by the Lampang Provincial Religious Committee on January 13, 1997 (B.E. 2540).

 

On November 6, 2007 (B.E. 2550), the temple was granted official boundary rights (wisungkhamsima) for its sacred area, measuring 20 meters in width and 40 meters in length. Phra Khru Wiboon Thammasak, the ecclesiastical head of Tambon Na Yang, currently serves as the abbot. Under his leadership, the temple has been continually restored and developed with solid religious structures.

 

At present, the temple houses one monk, one novice, and one temple boy. The lineage of abbots from past to present is as follows: Phra Athikan Ta Kham Photiko (1952), Phra Athikan Boonyuen Phutthimanto (1959), Phra Athikan Chantip (1962), Phra Athikan Boonmee Jattamaro (1969), and Phra Khru Wiboon Thammasak (since 1978).

 

The temple preserves a significant ancient artifact — a Buddha image in the Subduing Mara posture, created in Lanna artistic style. It measures 1.83 meters wide and 2.4 meters high, made of plaster, and is approximately 41 years old. Important religious structures at the temple include the entrance gate, ordination hall, preaching hall, monks’ residences, and a bell tower. The temple has now stood for 69 years.