Wat Nong Pho Nakhon Sawan

Wat Nong Pho (วัดหนองโพ) is a private temple (wat rat) under the Mahanikaya sect of Thai Buddhism. It is located in Nong Pho Subdistrict, Takhli District, Nakhon Sawan Province. The temple grounds cover an area of 71 rai and 15.6 square wah, situated on elevated terrain. The current abbot is Phra Khru Nipoon Phattanaphong.

Wat Nong Pho was originally an abandoned temple dating back to the Ayutthaya period. It was re-established in 1831 CE (B.E. 2374).^[1] A large bodhi tree with seven extending branches once stood on the grounds, giving rise to the name Wat Somphot Pho Krachai (“Temple of the Celebrated Spreading Bodhi Tree”). Later, the name was changed to "Wat Nong Pho" to match the village’s name. The temple received its wisungkhamsima boundary in 1915 CE (B.E. 2458). Within the temple grounds, there is one primary school. The temple’s fifth abbot was the famous meditation master Luang Phor Derm Phuttasaro.^[2]

The sacred objects associated with Luang Pho Derm include the ivory-handled ritual knife, known today as the “Thep Satra Knife” (Divine Weapon). The temple has constructed a metal pavilion housing a life-sized statue of Luang Pho Derm. An annual merit-making festival and gilding ceremony takes place on the 13th day of the waxing moon of the third lunar month.^[3]

Within the temple complex are an ubosot (ordination hall), sermon hall, chanting hall, and seven monks’ quarters (kuti). The Luang Pho Derm Museum presents exhibitions on the life of Luang Pho Derm and displays ancient artifacts discovered in the Nong Pho area dating back 4,000–8,000 years. It also features exhibits on early settlement in Nong Pho and manuscripts inscribed in traditional Thai and Western-style folding books. These manuscripts cover literature, administration, Buddhism, and local law texts.^[4]