Tham Pha Chom 2 - CR0004
20.442480,99.873621
Location
In Wat Pha Chom on the outskirts of Mae Sai town 2km west of the town centre. At the international border post turn west along the river for about 1.5km then south along a small side valley. The extensive temple complex is on the right after a few hundred metres.
Description
This is probably the same cave referred to as Tham Wat Phra Doi Wao in Deharveng (1988) and Dunkley (1995) as Wat Doi Wao is much closer to the town centre and does not appear to have any caves.Wat Pha Chom has two small dry caves, one of which is electrically lit and tiled throughout. A narrow entrance opens into two small chambers on different levels separated by a short passage. The first chamber is dominated by a golden chedi surrounded by numerous shrines. The second chamber has a more aesthetic feel with a single Buddha image under a golden canopy and a painting of a fasting Buddha on the wall. Steps lead up to an upper exit with a terrace overlooking the valley. There is a replica of the famous monk Archan Mun Phoorithatto.
Documents
Bibliography 05/08/2019- Barlow, Joel John (n.d.) "Chiang Rai Guide û Caves" www.chiangraiprovince.com/guide/eng/15.htm [first accessed September 2005 accessed December 2011 inaccessible December 2016] DEHARVENG, LOUIS ET AL. (1988) "ExpÚditions Tha´ 87-Tha´ 88" Association PyrÚnÚenne de SpÚlÚologie, Toulouse ISBN 2-906273-02-3 DUNKLEY, JOHN ROBERT (1995) "The Caves of Thailand" Speleological Research Council, Sydney ISBN 0-9589253-9-9 124pp MUNIER, CHRISTOPHE (1998) "Sacred Rocks and Buddhist Caves in Thailand" White Lotus Co. Ltd, Bangkok ISBN 974-8434-19-2 266pp SIDISUNTHORN, PINDAR; GARDNER, SIMON; SMART, DEAN (2006) "Caves of Northern Thailand" River Books, Thailand, ISBN 9749863135 VOGT, NILS B. (2013) "Temple Caves & Grottoes in Thailand: A Picture-Guide Book" Booksmango, Bangkok ISBN 978-616-222-160-6 214pp WARREN, W. (1985) "Thailand's Beautiful Caves" Sawasdee (Thai Airlines Magazine) Vol. 14 No. 10 pp15-21 ZEITOUN, VAL+RY; FORESTIER, HUBERT; NAKBUNLANG, SUPAPORN (2008) "PrÚhistoires au sud du Triangle d'Or" IRD Editions, Paris ISBN 97-2-7099-1642-4 252pp
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Cave CR0005 - CR0005 | ||
| 0.2 | Tham Pha Chom 1 [CR0022] | ||
| 2.9 | Tham Pha Ruea - CR0054 | 100 | 0 |
| 3.0 | Tham Pha Dtak - CR0053 | 30 | 0 |
| 5.0 | Tham Pha Mi [CR0045] [Bear Cliff Cave] [Tham Pah Mee] | 75 | 0 |
| 5.7 | Cave CR0089 | ||
| 5.8 | Cave CR0088 | ||
| 5.8 | Cave CR0095 | ||
| 5.9 | Cave CR0096 |