Wat Thung Sun

Rating: 3.8/5 (5 votes)

Operating day: Daily

Operating time: 08.00 - 17.00

 

Wat Thung Sun Ngop, Thung Chang, Nan. Wat Thung Sun was officially granted permission to establish on February 1, 1989 (B.E. 2532), with the formal announcement issued in the same year. The temple was granted Visungkhamsima on May 20, 2005 (B.E. 2548). It is classified as a public temple (Wat Rat). The temple is located along the Nan–Thung Chang road, approximately 2 kilometers from Wat Sri Don Chai Ngop and about 8 kilometers from the Thung Chang District Office. The temple occupies an area of 6 rai and 7 square wah, with legal land ownership under Nor Sor 3 Kor, document number 125. The temple is situated in a remote and rural area.

 

The buildings within the temple grounds include an ordination hall (ubosot) constructed in 1974 (B.E. 2517), measuring 8 meters wide and 15 meters long, built of brick and mortar. A monk’s residence (kuti) was built in 1973 (B.E. 2516), measuring 8.5 meters wide and 10.2 meters long, made of raised wooden structure. A multipurpose pavilion was built in 1993 (B.E. 2536), measuring 6 meters wide and 24 meters long, also built of brick and mortar. A restroom building was constructed in 1983 (B.E. 2526), measuring 5 meters wide and 7 meters long, with 2 toilet seats, built with brick and mortar. The boundary wall of the temple was built in 1977 (B.E. 2520), measuring 31 meters wide and 95 meters long, also made of brick and mortar. Other structures include a drum tower and a water well.

 

Wat Thung Sun is located on a hill on the northern side of the village, along the bank of the Sun River, near Pang Nam Sun, a sand-bottomed natural well which villagers and travelers used to collect drinking water. In earlier times, villagers from Thung Sun attended religious ceremonies at Wat Sri Don Chai together with those from Ngop village. However, during 1967–1973 (B.E. 2510–2516), the country experienced turmoil from communist insurgents. Villagers became afraid to walk to the temple in the early morning on Buddhist holy days, fearing capture.

 

In 1973 (B.E. 2516), Mr. Thammasorn Inya, after retiring from his post as subdistrict headman, gathered community members including Mr. Som Khamrungsi, Mr. Kham Manokhat, Mr. Prasert Khattiya, Mr. Pun Khamrungsi, Mr. Mon Thepchanta, Mr. Phai Khamrungsi, and Mrs. Khan Thepchanta to hold a village meeting proposing the establishment of a temple within the village. Almost all villagers supported the idea.

 

They began fundraising by organizing communal labor. If a villager hired workers for farming, the entire village would volunteer and donate the earned wages to the temple fund. The first such project was clearing a garden for Police Lieutenant Colonel Nob Intachat, which earned 1,000 baht. They also cultivated communal cotton fields, selling the produce to raise more funds. Materials such as wood and bricks were made or sourced by the villagers themselves. In 1974 (B.E. 2517), they began construction on a 6-rai plot of land donated by Mr. Thammasorn and Mrs. Kasee Inya, Mrs. Bualee Thepchanta, Aunt Nuan, and Aunt Khan, with Mr. Samoe Khamrungsi serving as the construction master.

 

Construction was completed in 1975 (B.E. 2518) during Mr. Som Khamrungsi’s tenure as village headman. The village then submitted a formal request to the Department of Religious Affairs under the Ministry of Education to establish the temple. They invited Luang Pho Lo from Wat Prang in Pua District to reside at the temple as the first abbot. Mr. Thammasorn Inya has served as the temple caretaker since its inception. Several monks have held the position of abbot over the years, with the longest-serving being Phra Khampan Piyasiro, who remains the current abbot as of 2005 (B.E. 2548).

 

The official declaration authorizing the establishment of Wat Thung Sun was issued on June 23, 1989 (B.E. 2532). The temple was granted Visungkhamsima on May 20, 2005 (B.E. 2548), with the consecrated area measuring 20 meters in width and 40 meters in length. This was announced in the Royal Gazette, General Announcement Section, Volume 122, Part 58 Ngor, dated July 21, 2005, by the Buddhist Places Division of the Office of National Buddhism.