Ajian Forest Temple, Surin

#dreamvoyage Type of Artistic Site Temple, Abandoned Temple, Religious Site Importance/Characteristics Wat Pa Ajian is located in Ban Nong Bua, Tambon Krapho, Amphoe Tha Tum, Surin Province. Originally, Wat Pa Ajian was a cemetery used for burying human and elephant corpses. In 1973, Mr. Thiam Intharasamran, Mr. Saengbun Lue, Mr. Da Chongjaingam, and Mr. Phut Thiangtham led the villagers of Nong Bua and Ban Ta Klang to open a new route near the cemetery, which was the Kathin route first. Later, in 1992, Phra Khru Palat Theranuwat (Luang Pho Phawana Phuttho) led relatives and merit-makers to organize a group ordination ceremony with an elephant procession at this cemetery. There were 200 monks who applied to join the project and camped in the cemetery for 10 days before returning to their home temple. On January 16, 2020, Mr. Adithep Kamolwet, Deputy Governor, Acting Governor of Surin Province The certificate of permission to build Wat Pa Achiang was issued, and on May 29, 2020, the National Office of Buddhism officially announced the certification of Wat Pa Achiang. The reason for the name "Wat Pa Achiang" is because "Achiang" means elephant, meaning that the place where this temple was built was given by elephants, and the elephants are the owners of the temple. It also means the area surrounding the district triangle. People know it because of the merit of elephants. Important art sources of Wat Pa Achiang The elephant cemetery is located inside Wat Pa Achiang, Elephant Village, Ban Nong Bua, Tambon Krapho, Amphoe Tha Tum, Surin Province. This elephant cemetery is where the bones of about 200 elephants are collected and stored. It is a place to learn about the legendary way of life of elephants. Every elephant in the village who dies must be buried in this cemetery and religious ceremonies are held like humans. In addition, within the temple grounds, there are things to learn about the history of elephants and their way of life. The Erawan Pavilion was built as a place to learn about the stories of elephants in the Tripitaka and the stories of elephants in Surin Province, showing the cultural bond between the Kui elephant keepers and the way of life of people and elephants. The Erawan Pavilion has created bas-relief sculptures in the shape of elephants of various types and sizes. Around the Erawan Pavilion, which is more than 30 meters high and beautiful, Wat Pa Achiang also has a Pakam Shrine, a place for various ceremonies according to the Kui tradition. In the past, before going out to capture elephants, a ceremony had to be performed. Nowadays, capturing elephants from the forest is not as common as in the past, but the Pakam Shrine is still used for ceremonies such as making offerings, making predictions about the village’s living conditions, etc.