Tiger Cave temple, also known as Wat Tham Sua, is located near Krabi Town in southern Thailand. It is one of the more interesting temple complexes in southern Thailand, as the monks live and worship within a maze of natural caves in an overgrown jungle valley. Wat Tham Sua teaches a form of Buddhism called Vipassana (insight meditation), which is based on the teachings of the earliest Buddhist texts. In the main temple cave you will find bizarre photos of internal organs and split cadavers, which are supposed to reinforce the temporary nature of the body and help the monks to focus on more spiritual matters. The main tourist attraction in the temple complex is the 1,272 step climb up a limestone tower to see the "footprint of the Buddha". Even if you are in good shape, the heat and humidity make this a difficult hike. Once you make it to the top, you are rewarded with stunning 360° views of the surrounding countryside and the Andaman Sea. I took these Thailand photos while traveling in 1999. I used a Pentax ZX-50 (lightweight SLR, good for travel photos) with a Pentax 80-200mm and 28mm wide-angle lens. Click Images below for a larger version:

Offerings at the footprint of the Buddha Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley	Foot of the Buddha and a prayer wheel Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley
Buddha image and mountains Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley	Buddha Image, Wat Tham Sua Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley
Monk reading Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley	Cave Temple Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley
Limestone towers Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley	Cave housing Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley
Construction Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley	Monk housing Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley
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View from halfway up the steps Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley

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Buddha Image, Wat Tham Sua
Photo © 1999 Robert Gourley

This Buddha image sits on top of the 985ft cliff in the Wat Tham Sua (Tiger Cave) in the Krabi province of Southern Thailand.

 

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