Tham Phra - CR0037
19.917586,99.788815
Location
This very well known cave is in a karst tower just north of the Mae Kok river in a small wat about 5km outside of Chiang Rai. From the city centre go past Tham Tu Pu and the cave is signed as 'Buddha Images Cave'. It is on the itinerary of many package tours.
Description
A flight of steps leads up the 5m to the entrance. There is a large Buddha statue ahead of you and a second chamber, with more images, is on the left. This second chamber doubles back to a second entrance about 10m from the first entrance.
Documents
Bibliography 10/08/2019- Barlow, Joel John (n.d.) "Chiang Rai Guide û Caves" www.chiangraiprovince.com/guide/eng/15.htm BOCK, C. (1884) "Temples and Elephants: The Narrative of a Journey of Exploration Through Upper Siam and Laos" Sampson Low, Marston, Searle Rivington, London 438pp reprinted (1986) Oxford University Press Cattaruzza, Lorella (1989) "Thailandia Quasi Speleoturismo" Progressione No. 22 pp32-33 DUNKLEY, JOHN ROBERT (1995) "The Caves of Thailand" Speleological Research Council, Sydney ISBN 0-9589253-9-9 ELLIS, MARTIN (2005) "Some Caves in Thailand Part 2" Shepton Mallet Caving Club Journal Series 11 No. 8 pp342-357 MUNIER, CHRISTOPHE (1998) "Sacred Rocks and Buddhist Caves in Thailand" White Lotus Co. Ltd, Bangkok ISBN 974-8434-19-2 266pp PENTH, HANS (1989) "On The History of Chiang Rai" Journal of the Siam Society Vol. 77 No. 1 pp11-32 SARASIN, FRITZ (1933a) "Prehistorical Researches in Siam" Journal of the Siam Society Vol. 26 No. 2 pp171-202 reprinted (1959) Selected Articles from The Siam Society Journal Volume 3: Early History and Ayudhya Period pp101-132 SARASIN, FRITZ (1933b) "Recherches Prehistoriques au Siam" L'Anthropologie Vol. 43 pp1-40 VOGT, NILS B. (2013) "Temple Caves & Grottoes in Thailand: A Picture-Guide Book" Booksmango, Bangkok ISBN 978-616-222-160-6 214pp You-di, Chin (1958) "The Stone Age in Thailand" Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India Vol. 3 pp201-210
History
The cave has been known since ancient times. In 1484 a governor of Chiang Rai, Thao Mui, made a Buddha image in the cave and provided eight families of slaves for its service and a regular income for its upkeep. This image may or may not be the brick-and stucco image that is seen in the cave at present while the inscribed stone slab which records the event is in the National Museum in Lamphun. Sarasin conducted an excavation in the smaller cave with little result, but was unable to investigate the main one. 2005-07-10 (M. Ellis, Y. Sopha) The first recorded visit by speleologists 2007-01-15 (M. Ellis, I. Hollis)
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | Tham Ruesi - CR0038 | 20 | 0 |
| 0.5 | Tham Waai [CR0052] | 100 | 0 |
| 0.6 | Tham Lom - CR0039 | ||
| 0.8 | Tham Chang Luang - CR0051 | ||
| 1.2 | Tham Doi Kong Khao - CR0044 | 200 | 0 |
| 1.7 | Tham Tu Pu - CR0043 | 45 | 0 |
| 5.0 | Tham Doi Hang [CR0090] | 25 | 0 |
| 17.5 | Tham Mi {CR0072] | ||
| 22.3 | Tham Mae Khrua - CR0062 | 90 | 4 |