Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Sua)
Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Sua)

Tiger Cave Temple, locally know as WatThamsuea, is a very well known Buddhist temple in Krabi as well as nearby provinces. It is only 5-6 kilometers from the down town of Krabi. The temple was named ‘Tiger Cave’ assumedlybecause there were tigers living in the area considering a tiger footprints found on surrounding stones.As for the origin of the temple, it has been said that in the past, a monk stopped by this area to take some rest from his pilgrimage mission. In the meantime, local people who learned about his stay went to visit and worship him. Eventually the people started building the temple.

Theincredible origin is not the only thing that attracts people but the Abbot of Tiger Cave Temple has been well respected by the locals for years. In general, the temple is surrounded by a forestpark with cliffs and cavities including Khon Than, Lot, Chang Kaeo (Crystal elephant), LukThanu(arrow), and Phra caves. The location of some of the caves are perfect spots for monks and believers to meditate. Besides, some of them were revealed to be remnants of two important eras – prehistoric and early historical periods- thanks to the discovery of ancient items such as stone tools, earthenware debris, raw statues and others.

However, these are not all that bring Thai and foreign tourists to the temple. One of the most popular activities here is to worship the Guan Yin Goddess statue which is fivemeters tall, the several hundred-year-oldwhite Buddha statue which is a Myanmar artwork, and also a replica of the Buddha footprint.

There is no better expression than “the always great and beautiful destination” to say to this temple after you have conquered the 1,200-step stairway. It is said that you have never been there unless you reach the top.

There is a sign marking every 100 steps to make it easier for climbers to count their effort. What you will finda the top area huge Buddha statue that will relieve believers of exhaustion and more importantly a panoramic view of Krabi. We sincerely hope that WatThaSuea is on your mind when thinking about vacation. It will embed good impression and refresh your minds before you move on with life.