Antique Temple in Dripstone Cave
Tham Khao Luang in Phetchaburi
Tours and trips to PhetchaburiIn the ancient Thailand city of Phetchaburi, which is about 40 kilometers north of Cha-Am, are many tourist attractions. A highlight is the ancient dripstone cave Tham Khao Luang, which is a temple, too.
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This dripstone cave rised in thousands of years and nowadays it is as a cemetery for some holy monks. When you enter the cave, please do it with respect and you should be dressed suited.
| But back to the beginning: When you arrive , it is advisable to drive by a car. The temple can be reached via a narrow road. Watch out for the hundred hungry and curious monkeys. If you ride a motorcycle, it is possible that you may be stolen from monkeys while driving, because they are also very cheeky, too. |
The monkeys of the temples of Phetchaburi look sweet and cute, but never forget that they are wild animals, which intelligence is coupled with boldness and sharp teeth!
So prefer to keep distance from the monkey and take enough bribes in the form of bananas , peanuts and corn with you!
With our Cha-Am SUV we were easy able to climb the mountain and the Thai people presented us the latest weapon of deterrence against Thailand's monkey attacks on cars:
A stuffed fluffy crocodile!
No joke, they explained us that a stuffed crocodile keeps at least 40 % of monkey attacks away, because the monkeys are afraid of crocodiles ...
For 10 baht you can park car more or less safely. Some Thais are also fitted with slingshots to keep the monkeys not to break or steal the mirrors or antennas from the car. The slingshots are obviously not used to hurt the animals, they only show the slingshots to the monkeys and present them as a weapon. Nearly every monkey takes to his heels when he sees a slingshot!
The entrance to the cave builds a wide stone staircase. Already in the entrance hall many golden Buddhas are placed. Some bats hanging from the ceiling, some of them fly with barely audible sounds through the cave.
The impression, you will get in this underground temple complex of Phetchaburi, is unique. Immediately after entering the cave you will see a fantasytic light show. In the ceiling is a large circular hole, by that the sun shines through.
Depending on the position of the sun, the light is shimmering different colorful on the golden Buddha figures, so that at any time of the day the show looks a little bit different.
The various rooms in the cave are partly artificial lighned, sometimes the sunlight is shimmering from the ceiling. The play between light and shadow is certainly impressive!
In one cave a large Buddha is lying. He is about 15 meters long, leaning against the rocky background and he is illuminated impressively.
Right next to the reclining Buddha , there is another dripstone cave room, which ceiling is broken. In this room are the cemetery of three holy monks and many golden Buddha figures.
Besides Buddha you find in many temples also Ruesi statues. Ruesi was an old hermit, who according to legend, discovered and developed the herbal medicine, the Thai massage, acupressure, the sacred art of magic Sak Yant tattoos and much more.
At the beginning of the steps from the staircase are artfully formed two snake heads. The stairs leads directly up into the jungle. Whether there are so many snakes in the jungle these two snake figures have been attached as a warning?
A very steep, narrow and slippery staircase leads upstairs where you can get an overview of the jungle. Snakes we have fortunately not seen!
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In the impressive dripstone cave of Phetchaburi some cairns in the form of Zen stones were formed by the monks. Creating the Zen stones is very time consuming and it requires full concentration. For the monks it is a good exercise for meditation and concentration. Through the open roof cave sometimes more and sometimes less light came in and lit the pile of stones in different ways. |
Zen stones in the Thai temple of Tham Khao Luang
In the large entrance hall of the dripstone cave are many smaller Buddha figures and an approximately 4 meter high Buddha statue stands out tremendously. In front of the figure is an altar erected on which you find the Chinese oracle sticks and many incense sticks.
The temple are for female monks, which are not often seen in Thailand.
Due to the rising smoke of the incense sticks and by the sun light you will feel a sacred atmosphere.
Please write us, if you are interested in a tour to this unique temple Tham Khao Luang. We take our time with you.
If you like to make the tour alone, you should not start too late, because also temples and caves are usually closed in the evening .
The opening times of the temple are Monday to Friday 8 to 16 o´clock and on weekends 8 to 17 o´clock.
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