Beautiful and eye-catching, Wat Phra That Noi Si Bun Rueang, Nakhon Phanom Province, has built a 'stainless steel church', the first Lan Xang art handicraft in the Northeast, to stimulate religious tourism and attract religious people to the temple.It has become a surprise for Wat Phra That Noi Si Bunruang, Tambon Phra Klang Thung, Amphoe That Phanom, Nakhon Phanom Province, or as the locals call it Wat Phra That Noi, which is considered a sacred ancient temple, founded in the same era as the construction of Phra That Phanom, which is more than 2,500 years old. After Phra Khru Winai Thon Wivat Yanawatthano, aged 36, the abbot of Wat Phra That Noi Si Bunruang, together with the power of faith of Buddhists, developed and renovated the original chapel which is no less than 80 years old. The new chapel is decorated with stainless steel throughout, beautifully and intricately, from the foundation, gable to the roof. It is decorated with Kanok patterns and Naga patterns resulting from the embossing of Lan Xang a rchitecture, with visible bas-relief patterns.The interior is decorated with stainless steel and houses a Buddha statue in a meditation posture. The design is based on the life story of the Buddha and the legend of Phra That Phanom. The renovation is now over 50% complete, with a construction budget of around 30 million baht.The abbot of Wat Phra That Noi Si Bun Rueang revealed that Phra That Noi Si Bun Rueang was built after Phra That Phanom or in B.E. 8. It was used as a place to collect valuables from devotees who traveled to bring items to be placed in Phra That Phanom but were unable to make it in time. With their faith, they built Phra That Noi Si Bun Rueang to worship the Buddha at Wat Phra That Noi Si Bun Rueang. According to history, Phra That Noi once collapsed and was renovated by villagers in 1926, but it collapsed again until a new reconstruction was built in 2016 and completed in 2020. The ruins of the original Phra That still remain, and the Fine Arts Department has registered it as an anci ent site since 1983.The temple has an idea to develop and build a stainless steel Ubosot because it wants to create excitement and interest for the power of faith, so that the devout will be interested in traveling to make merit more, and it is also a promotion of Dharma tourism. Therefore, we would like to invite Buddhists, devout people, and believers to travel and join in making merit to increase their charisma. Some believe that this will attract more people and tourists to the temple to make merit.Source: Thai News Agency