A Trip to Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea), Krabi, Thailand

One of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Krabi, located in the Kiriwong Valley’s tropical rain forest. The temple is a prominent center for Thai Buddhist meditation. The temple also has places of archaeological and historical significance, such as stone tools, pottery shards, and molded Buddha footprints.

History

The foundation of the temple dates back to 1975 when a Vipassana monk named Jumnean Seelasettho (Ajahn Jumnean) went to meditate in the cave here. During his meditation, he witnessed tigers roaming around the cave. This discovery led to naming the temple Wat Tham Suea. Another legend says that an actual huge tiger used to live and roam the cave. The naming of the temple also comes to discoveries of a tiger paw prints on the cave walls.

The main vihara is inside a small shallow limestone cave. The area is well lit and very well maintained to preserve the serenity of the environment. Some 250 monks and nuns live in the temple compounds. The temple teaches a form of Buddhism called Vipassana (insight meditation), which is based on the teachings of the earliest Buddhist texts.

One of the main attractions is the Buddha statue and golden Pagoda on top of the Ao Luk Thanu mountain ranges next to the temple. A strenuous flight of stairs (1,237 steps) leads to the summit. Some of the stairs are more than a foot (30 cm) high. The view from the top, combined with the Pagoda and Budha statue, makes the summit of the mountain an unforgettably beautiful and peaceful place. Sunset ascents are becoming increasingly popular, especially at full moon days, when it is possible to see the sun set in the west, while a golden moon rises over the Krabi lowlands in the east. Monkeys roam the lower stairs and temple grounds. Do not tease the monkeys, occasionally people get bitten by the monkeys. (some of the information are from Wikipedia)

I rent a car from the Ao Nang area and drove to the Tiger cave temple on a fine morning. It was a 30-40min drive and the road was pretty good, like most of the tourist places in Thailand. I learned about the 1237steps climb to the summit after reaching the place. And took the challenge with a pair of simple slippers, a heavy camera bag and small bottle of water. It was really a tiring trip, first 300steps were not that difficult. After that, I stopped for a short break whenever my legs and lungs begged me to stop. The heat and humidity was not in favor at all. But reaching the summit was extremely rewarding, with a wonderful view of the valley on one side and the beautiful mountain ranges on the other side. Even the Krabi airport can be seen from the top. A few minutes of silence in front of the majestic sitting Budha statue and the golden pagoda somehow replenish the spirits and energy. I spend more than 40min there and refilled the bottle from the water tap there. Also took off my tshirt to dry it, as it was completely wet when I reached the summit. The descent was much easier than the ascent and reached the foot of the mountain, without stopping at all.

I walked to main vihara and spend some time there. Interestingly, one of the very old Buddhist nun with the register book eagerly talked to me about India.

This place is definitely worth going, especially if you don’t mind some physical activities like climbing 1237 steps.