The Temple of the Sitting Mummy, Wat Khunaram, has an unusual shrine and attraction – the mummy of its former abbot, Luang Pho Daeng. During his lifetime, he had a reputation as a holy man who had reached the heights of mastery in meditation.
Luang was born in 1894, took monastic vows at the age of 20, and lived in the monastery for two years, after which he returned to secular life. Even after marrying and having five children, thoughts of serving Buddha never left him, and at the age of 50 he returned to the temple.
Luang Pho Daeng meditated a great deal, prayed diligently, and in time became the abbot of Khunaram Temple. Deep faith gave the monk certain abilities, and when he predicted the exact date of his death and told his disciples his final wish, no one was surprised. He instructed the following: after his death, not to cremate his body, but to leave it for a time and bury it only if signs of decomposition appeared.
But after his death, a miracle occurred – the process of self-mummification took place: the body did not decay, but remained frozen in the meditation pose in which life left Luang. The monk's mummy was covered with a glass sarcophagus, where it has remained since 1975.
Besides the mystical story of the mummy, visitors are attracted by the temple's magnificent Khmer architecture.
There is also another mystical lure – they say that the traditional Thai temple predictions here are extraordinarily accurate. The wish bracelets sold by the monks are sure to fulfill the wish made when tying them on, and the amulets from Wat Khunaram truly protect and bring success.
