Wat Tham Aphai Damrong Tham (Wat Tham Phuang) and Museum of Ajarn Wan Uttamo

Located on the Phu Phan mountain range, this is a Dhammayut forest monastery for meditation practice. Originally, the area where the temple stands was called "Phu Pha Lek" by local villagers, speculated to be because of the abundance of iron ore in the vicinity. If a magnet was placed on the ground, small stones would stick to it in bunches, hence the villagers came to call it "Tham Phuang" (Bun Cave) until today. Interesting sights within the temple include: - Viharn Phra Mongkol Mutjalin. Inside is enshrined a large statue of the Buddha in the Naga Prok posture, with a lap width of 5 meters. It also houses Phra Narasing, an arhat from the time of Lord Kassapa Buddha, and a black Buddha image brought from India. There are also relics of Paccekabuddha and arhats for the public to pay homage. - Museum of the Personal Effects of Phra Ajarn Wan Uttamo. Located in the heart of the temple grounds, Phra Ajarn Wan Uttamo (Phra Udom Sangwon Wisutthit Ther) was a meditation master, one of the disciples of Phra Ajarn Mun Bhuridatta Thera, and the founder of this temple. The museum is a two-story building made of brick and concrete, entirely clad in marble. The ground floor is a room displaying paintings about Phra Ajarn Wan's life from birth. The upper floor has a statue of him in a cross-legged meditation posture with offerings, and glass cabinets displaying his personal belongings. - Chedi Phra Udom Sangwon Wisutthit Ther. The shape of this chedi is similar to the museum of Phra Ajarn Wan Uttamo's personal effects. It is a two-tiered chedi with stairs leading to the structure. There are entrances on all four sides. On the second floor of the chedi, there is a likeness of Phra Ajarn Wan enshrined. This place was also where the cremation ceremony of Phra Ajarn Wan Uttamo (Phra Udom Sangwon Wisutthit Ther) took place. - The Four Great Sites of Pilgrimage. This is a recreated representation of the places of birth, enlightenment, first sermon, and nirvana of Lord Buddha, based on the actual sites in Nepal and India. The chedi replicating the birthplace is named "Sirimahamaya Chedi", the chedi replicating the place of enlightenment is named "Srimahabodhi Chedi", the chedi replicating the place of the first sermon is named "Dhamek Stupa Chedi", and the chedi replicating the place of nirvana is named "Viharn Phra Parnippharn Chedi". - Viharn Phra Pang Lelai. Inside the viharn is enshrined the Buddha image in the Pang Lelai posture (Pang Lelai is the posture where the Buddha sits on a rock, with both feet resting on a lotus, His left and right hands resting palms down on His knees, His right palm facing upwards on His knees, with an elephant kneeling, holding a water bowl with its trunk, and on the other side, a monkey holding a honeycomb to offer).