The beautiful Wat Sri Rong Muang was built by Burmese workers in 1905. The workers were there as contracted loggers for teak wood. The belief is that those who cut down trees needed to ask for forgiveness from Mother Nature. Those Burmese workers were trying to ask for forgiveness for the job they were contracted to do.
We started with the Buddha statue outside, next to the main pagoda. The statue is all white to represent the purity of Buddha once he became the monk. The pagoda next to it has many small statues and a picture of the previous abbot.
In the temple's garden lies a large Bodhi Tree with statues surrounding it. My favorite statue is the one of Ganesha showing the diversity of artistry in the temple's design. There's also a very impressive statue of a Lersi at the same tree on the opposite side of the Ganesha statue.
Once inside the main hall with the 3 statues of Buddha, we saw the influence of the Lanna style art and Burmese style art in the architecture of the building.
The pillars are decorated with the temple's tree sap and are magnificently designed to match the ceiling's artistic design. We did our great deed by donating to the temple and recited the main Pali incantation.
As we left, we got to admire the exterior design of the main hall that's also in the Lanna/Burmese style art. The artistry is extremely impressive and I'm always in awe when I visit Wat Sri Rong Muang. Although I know what to expect each visit, there's just something magical and humbling about this temple that draws me back year after year.
