Famouse Wat Thung Sri Muang

Famouse Wat Thung Sri Muang

Built around 1829, Wat Thung Sri Muang is most noted for it's old library, or Ho Trai. The large wooden structure sits in the center of a rectangular pond filled with lotus flowers. This was common for libraries within temples. The scriptures were written on palm leaves, which are highly susceptible to insect damage. Placing the building over water helped to isolate it from the bugs. The library has a wrap-around gallery that surrounds the hall where the books were stored. Only a few scriptures are actually stored there today, for demonstration purposes. Most of the valuable manuscripts are now stored in an air-conditioned building elsewhere in the temple. It is open to the public and corridors inside are beautifully decorated with wooden paneling and gold leaves. There are also two wiharns, one on the left, quite old and one more recent on the rignt of the library that houses a larger sitting Buddha.