When going to any large and famous temple in Thailand we always pass by dozens of small and lesser known temples, and it often strikes me that we don’t know what might be inside and what we might be passing by.
On the way from Sadao to Hatyai stands a inconspicuous temple at Pangla that people will drive pass everyday and never give a thought to, unless it happens to be their local temple. There are no supersize statues, no flashy buildings, or anything much to attract the attention.
Only by chance did I go there, as it is the temple of Ajahn Prasit, the Chief Monk of the Sadao area, who has been a big help to the International Buddhist College where I presently stay.
He has also been a help to me personally by supporting my visa application, and it was for that reason that we went to the temple. But I am always interested to see a new temple, so while waiting to see Ajahn I had a wander around and a look in the small Ubosot.
From the outside it is just a normal-looking small Ubosot, and looks like nothing special, but inside there are some very fine murals telling the Life of the Buddha painted by one of the local villagers, Athapol Charng Chum.
The murals themselves show he is able to work in different colour schemes and different styles, and the whole is varied and interesting work. Not all the murals have been completed at this point, and I am hoping at some point to meet the artist and maybe film him at work.
Meanwhile I have posted a new album consisting of 60 photographs, mainly of the murals, on the Wat Pangla, Songkhla page of the Photo Dharma website. Do take a look at them.
The Birth
The Renunciation
The First Teaching