Thailand: Shrine with wooden phalluses in the Phra Nang cave, Tham Phra Nang, Krabi Coast

Tham Phra Nang or the ‘Cave of the Revered Lady’ is located near the southern tip of the narrow peninsula that divides the beaches of Rai Leh East and Rai Leh West.

Dedicated to the memory of an eponymous Indian princess said to have been drowned offshore centuries ago, a fertility cult has developed around the cave and a small shrine within. The cave itself is packed with red-tipped phalluses placed here by local fishermen in the hope both of good catches; similarly local women offer incense, flowers, prayers and phalluses if they are seeking to become pregnant.

Krabi Province is made up of more than 5,000 sq km of jungle-covered hills and sharp, jagged karst outcrops, as well as more than 100km of luxuriant, pristine coastline and around 200 islands in the neighbouring Andaman Sea.

About 40 per cent of the provincial population is Muslim, the remainder being predominantly Buddhist. This is a clear indication that Krabi sits astride the invisible dividing line between Buddhist Thailand and the four southern provinces—Satun, Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani—which are predominantly Muslim. Far from causing any sort of problem, this adds immensely to the cultural width and diversity of the province, blending mosques with temples, Malay cooking traditions with Thai cuisine, and giving the province a pleasantly relaxed multi-cultural feel.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia