I was a happy temple hunting blogger in conclusion weekend! We (that's me as well as the family) visited an interesting temple that we'd never seen earlier .. never fifty-fifty knew it was there! I don't drag my kids out to temples that oft these days right away they are getting older as well as take maintain their ain things to do, but fifty-fifty they were impressed past times Tham Paya Nakarat (ถ้ำพญานาครา). Certainly worth a Dominicus afternoon crusade as well as nosotros were dorsum habitation inwards fourth dimension for the kids to instruct a brace of hours wake-boarding inwards :)
Tham Paya Nakarat is built into a rocky limestone loma amongst caves as well as huge stalactites as well as I am surprised that I'd non heard of it before. So I got a message on Twitter a brace of weeks agone bespeak for directions to the "Dragon Cave Temple". Never heard of it. H5N1 piffling Googling institute unopen to tor companies inwards Khao Lak visiting this temple, but I institute no Thai refer or map. So using Google picture search I tried to discovery other pages amongst similar images as well as finally institute a location on Google Maps, amongst a photograph that matched the refer "Dragon Cave Temple", but on the map it only said "Monastery". Well, it looked similar we'd take maintain to accept a crusade as well as run across what nosotros could find! Over the years we've done whatever of these drives exploring dorsum roads as well as nosotros ever become far into a squeamish identify unit of measurement twenty-four hr catamenia :)
After dejeuner at Dairy Hut Seafood, only exterior Phang Nga town, nosotros took the primary route due east to the modest town of Thap Put which nosotros crusade through oft on the fashion towards Surat Thani as well as Chumphon. At the junction inwards Thap Put town, almost everyone turns right, but nosotros headed to the left. This route heads into the hills as well as eventually dorsum to Phang Nga Town. I take maintain seen it written on maps every bit the "road of 100 bends" as well as it is indeed a twisty route as well as climbs upwardly as well as down, lots of views, as well as unopen to steep drops past times the road. We've been this fashion exclusively a brace of times before, but did non know almost Tham Paya Nakarat, downwards a modest side route marked amongst this sign ...
H5N1 narrow route heads due south for almost 1km as well as in that location is a rather unimpressive concrete edifice to the left as well as lots of parking space. Was this it? No sign of a cave or temple, although I could run across monks robes hanging on the balconies of the building. And a sign said "ถ้ำพญานาครา" .. We drove inwards as well as parked, hence could run across a stairway heading upwardly the cliff.
The stairway was lined amongst bells. I am never quite certain if I should telephone these bells. Best non unless you lot are certain of the spiritual significance. But I rang unopen to anyway. Hope that is expert luck. At the top of this stairway nosotros passed a doorway amongst a sign proverb "Please take away shoes" as well as institute a Buddhist shrine, along amongst a desk staffed past times a immature guy (not a monk), a donation box as well as a tabular array of temple items for sale, as well as stairways heading upwardly inwards two dissimilar directions.
We took the stairs to the left of the shrine heading upwardly the cliffside. No thought how many stairs in that location would be. Maybe 1,000 addition similar the Tiger Cave Temple inwards Krabi? Luckily non hence many!
(above) Climbing the steps at Tham Paya Nakarat
(above) And upwardly to a greater extent than steps .. non also many really! The whole identify is built into the side of the cliff amongst giant stalactites hanging downwards as well as the jungle growing upwardly into the cave. On this higher grade you lot start to instruct unopen to views across the valley. The flooring hither has been either tiled inwards unopen to places or covered amongst sand inwards other places.
The path is non long, perhaps 100 meters passing a modest chedi earlier you lot instruct to the "big view" amongst unopen to other shrine as well as collection of Buddha statues. Now, this is a persuasion I could sit down as well as admire for a while.
This identify is shown on the map every bit a monastery, or a meditation see rather than a temple / Wat (วัด) as well as I mean value correct hither is a expert identify to meditate. And made the trip worthwhile!
At this viewpoint side past times side to the shrine is a wooden bench as well as a giant snake-like creature, which could perhaps hold out false for a dragon (maybe why unopen to tour companies rate 'dragon cave temple'), but this is a Naga, as well as non only whatever Naga, this is Paya Naga, the Rex of the snakes, leading to the refer of this temple/cave. The Naga is purpose of Hindu myth as well as also Buddhism (which is related to Hinduism). So this is the cave of the Rex of the snakes.
(above) My missy amongst the Rex of the snakes, Paya Naga.
We walked dorsum as well as downwards the steps to the outset grade 1 time to a greater extent than as well as hence upwardly a dissimilar stairway into a organization of caves which went farther dorsum than I wanted to explore due to a rattling rickety looking span which I felt mightiness non concur my weight! Inside the caves were shrines of Buddhist as well as Hindu origin.
H5N1 fascinating as well as beautiful place. I notice on Google Maps that the modest route passing this temple seems to croak on going due south all the fashion dorsum to the primary Phang Nga - Thap Put route almost 5km due east of the Dairy Hut Seafood restaurant. H5N1 modest potentially scenic route that I demand to follow 1 day! Very glad to take maintain institute out almost Tham Paya Nakarat. Sure you lot mightiness non crusade all the fashion from Phuket only to see this 1 temple, but combined amongst lunch, visiting Wat Suwan Kuha or Wat Bang Riang (near Thap Put town) as well as perhaps Wat Thamtapan inwards Phang Nga Town as well as you lot take maintain a choice of interesting temples inwards this modest area.
Tham Paya Nakarat - Location Map
Sumber http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com
Tham Paya Nakarat is built into a rocky limestone loma amongst caves as well as huge stalactites as well as I am surprised that I'd non heard of it before. So I got a message on Twitter a brace of weeks agone bespeak for directions to the "Dragon Cave Temple". Never heard of it. H5N1 piffling Googling institute unopen to tor companies inwards Khao Lak visiting this temple, but I institute no Thai refer or map. So using Google picture search I tried to discovery other pages amongst similar images as well as finally institute a location on Google Maps, amongst a photograph that matched the refer "Dragon Cave Temple", but on the map it only said "Monastery". Well, it looked similar we'd take maintain to accept a crusade as well as run across what nosotros could find! Over the years we've done whatever of these drives exploring dorsum roads as well as nosotros ever become far into a squeamish identify unit of measurement twenty-four hr catamenia :)
After dejeuner at Dairy Hut Seafood, only exterior Phang Nga town, nosotros took the primary route due east to the modest town of Thap Put which nosotros crusade through oft on the fashion towards Surat Thani as well as Chumphon. At the junction inwards Thap Put town, almost everyone turns right, but nosotros headed to the left. This route heads into the hills as well as eventually dorsum to Phang Nga Town. I take maintain seen it written on maps every bit the "road of 100 bends" as well as it is indeed a twisty route as well as climbs upwardly as well as down, lots of views, as well as unopen to steep drops past times the road. We've been this fashion exclusively a brace of times before, but did non know almost Tham Paya Nakarat, downwards a modest side route marked amongst this sign ...
H5N1 narrow route heads due south for almost 1km as well as in that location is a rather unimpressive concrete edifice to the left as well as lots of parking space. Was this it? No sign of a cave or temple, although I could run across monks robes hanging on the balconies of the building. And a sign said "ถ้ำพญานาครา" .. We drove inwards as well as parked, hence could run across a stairway heading upwardly the cliff.
The stairway was lined amongst bells. I am never quite certain if I should telephone these bells. Best non unless you lot are certain of the spiritual significance. But I rang unopen to anyway. Hope that is expert luck. At the top of this stairway nosotros passed a doorway amongst a sign proverb "Please take away shoes" as well as institute a Buddhist shrine, along amongst a desk staffed past times a immature guy (not a monk), a donation box as well as a tabular array of temple items for sale, as well as stairways heading upwardly inwards two dissimilar directions.
We took the stairs to the left of the shrine heading upwardly the cliffside. No thought how many stairs in that location would be. Maybe 1,000 addition similar the Tiger Cave Temple inwards Krabi? Luckily non hence many!
(above) Climbing the steps at Tham Paya Nakarat
(above) And upwardly to a greater extent than steps .. non also many really! The whole identify is built into the side of the cliff amongst giant stalactites hanging downwards as well as the jungle growing upwardly into the cave. On this higher grade you lot start to instruct unopen to views across the valley. The flooring hither has been either tiled inwards unopen to places or covered amongst sand inwards other places.
The path is non long, perhaps 100 meters passing a modest chedi earlier you lot instruct to the "big view" amongst unopen to other shrine as well as collection of Buddha statues. Now, this is a persuasion I could sit down as well as admire for a while.
This identify is shown on the map every bit a monastery, or a meditation see rather than a temple / Wat (วัด) as well as I mean value correct hither is a expert identify to meditate. And made the trip worthwhile!
At this viewpoint side past times side to the shrine is a wooden bench as well as a giant snake-like creature, which could perhaps hold out false for a dragon (maybe why unopen to tour companies rate 'dragon cave temple'), but this is a Naga, as well as non only whatever Naga, this is Paya Naga, the Rex of the snakes, leading to the refer of this temple/cave. The Naga is purpose of Hindu myth as well as also Buddhism (which is related to Hinduism). So this is the cave of the Rex of the snakes.
(above) My missy amongst the Rex of the snakes, Paya Naga.
We walked dorsum as well as downwards the steps to the outset grade 1 time to a greater extent than as well as hence upwardly a dissimilar stairway into a organization of caves which went farther dorsum than I wanted to explore due to a rattling rickety looking span which I felt mightiness non concur my weight! Inside the caves were shrines of Buddhist as well as Hindu origin.
H5N1 fascinating as well as beautiful place. I notice on Google Maps that the modest route passing this temple seems to croak on going due south all the fashion dorsum to the primary Phang Nga - Thap Put route almost 5km due east of the Dairy Hut Seafood restaurant. H5N1 modest potentially scenic route that I demand to follow 1 day! Very glad to take maintain institute out almost Tham Paya Nakarat. Sure you lot mightiness non crusade all the fashion from Phuket only to see this 1 temple, but combined amongst lunch, visiting Wat Suwan Kuha or Wat Bang Riang (near Thap Put town) as well as perhaps Wat Thamtapan inwards Phang Nga Town as well as you lot take maintain a choice of interesting temples inwards this modest area.
Tham Paya Nakarat - Location Map
Sumber http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com