The Mystery Caves of Ratchaburi and Petchaburi Provinces

In two neighboring provinces southwest of Bangkok, where limestone karsts jut like knives out of thick green jungles and monkeys run wild and play at ancient temples, there are a series of caves. These caves are steeped in ancient myth and local legend, and promise adventure to anyone who visits.

My adventure guide, Bow, planned a day trip by van to visit three of these mystery caves: the Cave of Luck, the Cave of Wealth, and the Cave of Good Health.

The Cave of Luck - Khao Luang Cave, Phetchaburi 

Phechaburi, which means "The Land of Diamonds", lies near Hua Hin at the northern part of the Malay Peninsula. It is one of the narrowest parts of the country, bordering Myanmar to the west and the Gulf of Thailand to the east. 

Here, amongst the dense jungles of the tropics, we arrived at That Khao Luang, the first cave that we were to visit, after a two-hour drive from Bangkok.

This cave was a favorite of the deeply religious King Mongkut (Rama IV), who believed it to be a place of profound spiritual energy. He would come here to meditate and study Buddhist scripture. Before becoming king and ruling over Siam for over 20 years, King Mongkut spent three decades as a monk. Though he preferred the monastic life, he assumed the throne because of his loyalty and duty to the kingdom.

After King Mongkut's death, his son King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) ordered the construction of a temple within the cavern in honor of his father.

Nearly every corner of the large cavern was filled with statues. When he converted the cavern into a Temple, King Rama V had hundreds of Buddha statues from across Thailand transported to Petchaburi and installed within the cave. Some are big, some are small, but it seems like every one is different.

Inside the cave's main chamber is a large bronze statue of Buddha in the position of subduing Mara.

In the Buddhist scriptures, Mara was a demon who was sent to tempt Prince Siddharta away from gaining enlightenment. When the Buddha was meditating in the wilderness, Mara tempted him with memories of his former life back in the palace, with earthly power, great wealth, mighty armies, great hunger, and terrible thirst. Buddha meditated, eventually defeating the demon. In Buddhism, Mara is a symbol of the self-doubt within us, which people must overcome in order to achieve enlightenment.

In Thailand, caves always seem to have some special spiritual significance. Every cave has its own myth or legend, and they are often seen as places of magic and spiritual enlightenment.

This cave's mystery tells of a magical portal to another mystical land where people live happily and peacefully forever. Locals tell stories that they swear are true of wandering in the jungle, losing track of time, and suddenly finding themselves within Khao Luang Cave. Others have reported suddenly finding themselves transported to another cave a full 60 km away.

The magical gateway is guarded by a Buddha statue in the fairly uncommon posture of preaching and ministering to the animals of the world.

Another impressive statue - this one a six-meter reclining Buddha - takes up an entire wall of a long passage. Before the statue was a small shrine where pilgrims and visitors lit incense and prayed.

Two smaller statues depict an old man and woman - locals whom King Rama V appointed as caretakers to tend to the cave. Today, people honor them by bringing the statues gifts of clothing, jewelry, and flowers.

As we were about to leave the cave, a beam of sunlight suddenly burst into the main chamber from the open ceiling of the cave, creating a mysterious and otherworldly effect. We were there at exactly the right time of day to see this phenomenon!

We spent an hour or so exploring the mystery cave of Petchaburi, but it was soon time to move on. Our next destination was in the neighboring Ratchaburi Province to a cave with a very strange mystical connection to the one we had just left.

The Cave of Wealth - Chomphon Cave, Ratchaburi 

Ratchaburi means "The Land of the King", and fittingly, Chomphon Cave was one of King Rama V's favorite caves in all of Thailand.

It took more than an hour to drive to Chomphon Cave from Petchaburi, but for some people, the journey is much, much quicker. Chomphon Cave is said to be the other end of the mysterious portal at Khao Luang Cave, and legend says that sometimes people who go to Khao Luang to meditate open their eyes to find themselves magically transported all the way to Chomphon Cave, more than 60 km away.

Like the previous cave, this one had also been turned into a temple, but it was a longer walk through the twisting tunnels to get to the main cavern. First, we had to walk through a tall chamber filled with the squeaking of the bats that we could see hanging high above.

It was dim inside the main cavern, despite the hole in the ceiling letting in the mid-afternoon sunlight, and it was difficult to photograph the walking Buddha statue that stood directly beneath the bright light.

This cave also had several statues, though not nearly as many as the previous one we had visited. Besides the main walking Buddha in the center of the large chamber, the other main feature was a reclining Buddha which stretched up against the back wall of the cave.

This cave has its own legend as well. According to the stories, a powerful wise man meditated and turned himself into a pillar of stone.

This cave is also known as the "Cave of Wealth", and people will bring offerings to the rock formation which is said to be the ancient holy man. If he is pleased, he will grant wealth to the visitors.

 

He may have been powerful, but the legend says that the wise man could also be spiteful. A couple visited the cave long ago, and mocked the pillar of stone. In vengeance, the wise man cursed the couple, turning them into stone as well.

At least that is the legend surrounding this strange rock formation that locals say looks like a man and woman embracing.

The Cave of Good Health - Nam Cave, Ratchaburi

The limestone cliffs towered above us as we arrived at our third and final cave. It was now late afternoon, and we had arrived at That Nam, which was located not far from the Khao Ngu Stone Park that I visited several months ago.

There were a lot of monkeys hanging around these cliffs, and we had to be very careful of our belongings! Monkeys may seem exotic, exciting, and even cute to people who don't live around them, but once you've lived in Southeast Asia for any amount of time, you learn that they really are a nuisance. They may look cute, but they love to grab and steal your stuff! 

This day, however, the hot sun made even the monkeys lethargic and lazy. They didn't want anything to do with us as we climbed up the steep steps leading to the mouth of Nam Cave.

"Nam" means "water", and the cave lived up to its name. Unlike the previous two which were hot and humid, the air of Nam Cave was kept cool and damp from the natural springs inside.

It was bright at the mouth of the cave, but it grew cooler and more dim as we walked over the bridges which stretched across the quiet water.

In ancient times, locals believed that the waster from the springs inside this cave was holy water, and that it could cure them of illnesses. It looked a bit murky, however, and I do not think I would like to drink it!

Tiny candles, like the ones you might see during the Loi Krathong Festival, floated gently in the still, cold spring water. Occasionally, someone would make a wish, say a prayer, and light a candle to float in the holy spring.

This cave is believed to be the home to a Naga, mythical serpents from Hindu and Buddhist beliefs who are the guardians of the river. The Naga grant good health and protection, and in Buddhism, a Naga once shielded the Buddha from the monsoon rains as he sat meditating.

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Part of the legend comes from the water which fills the floor of the cave, and part comes from a particular rock formation that some people believe looks something like the head of the mythical snake.

Another chamber of the cave holds a black Buddha statue clad in a golden robe. This statue imparts health, Bow explained to us, and people travel here from all across Thailand to pray to be healed from their maladies and illnesses.

When we climbed back out of the cave and into the daylight, I felt exhausted. It had been a long, fun, tiring day of adventure in south-central Thailand. I made some good friends, and saw tons of places that I had never seen before. I learned a lot about Thai legends and culture, and was really happy to get some fresh air in the provinces outside of Bangkok.

I don't know how long this period will last. On August 1, Thailand plans to reopen the boarders to tourists. These few weeks are the most wonderful time for expats in the kingdom. There have been no cases of the Coronavirus for nearly 6 weeks now, so everything has opened back up as normal, but there are still no tourists. We are fully prepared for the second wave, though, which could very well bring with it a second lock-down and quarantine period. Until then, I am going to keep making the most of my weekends. For the time-being, I intend to go on as many trips, walks, tours, and adventures as I can!