Wat Tham Pa Acha Thong ‘Have your ever seen monks do the Binthabat on the horses’ backs?’
There are still so many interesting things in Chiang Rai waiting to be visited by you. After all, it is a town of culture and history.
Speaking of interesting things, one of these must be ‘Wat Tham Pa Acha Thong’. This is a monastery in a style that you have never seen before.
How is it different from other temples? Well, let’s see.
The monks at this temple, they don’t do Binthabat on their feets like many other monks. Instead, they’re on horses’ backs.
Kruba Nua Chai first started his Binthabat by walking. But later the villagers bestowed a horse upon him, in the hope of eliminating his exhaustion dusing his Binthabat. Therefore, he has always done his Bibthabat on a horse’s back ever since and that inspired many other monks. They started to ride on horses for Binthabat just like him. Kruba Nua Chai himself named his horse ‘Acha Thong’, due to its strong appearance. This is where the name of the monastery came from.
Now, you may understand why Wat Tham Pa Acha Thong is different from others. It is not just a forest monastery with nice scenery of nature, but also inhabited by monks who ride horses for Binthabat. This impresses many tourists, both Thai and foreign.
If you visit the Acha Thong Forest Monastery, you will see this memorable image for sure. You will also have a chance of bestowing foods upon horse-riding monks. That is good for your mind, fortune, and experience.
Anyway, you may think that riding on horses for Binthabat is totally comfortable. No, that is not true at all. First, the roads around there is rough and not really straight like other roads. That causes a series of difficulties for monks when they try to get horses on proper ways. Sometimes their foods even spill out. But they have never given up on riding on their horses.
Conclusion is, this monastery is a good place that you should go when you visit Chiang Rai. The image of horse-riding monks may not be noticed anywhere else. Therefore don’t miss it. Take your children or friends with you too. That will be most perfect.
How to get there
Wat Tham Pa Acha Thong is located in a quiet mountain community, at Sri Kham District, Mae Chan County, Chiang Rai Province.
The first way to go there is to follow the road Chiang Rai-Mae Chan. After you pass Mae Chan for about 1 kilometres, turn left at the intersection and head for Doi Mae Salong.
The second way is to continue straight along the highway named Chiang Rai-Mae Sai. After you pass Mae Chan for about 4 kilometres, you will soon find the proper direction to Wat Tham Pa Acha Thong. You will see the sign. Don’t worry.
Nearby Places
Let’s find some other places to tour too. Here are some nearby.
Huai Hin Fon hot springs is situated on the main road from Mae Chan (located 40 km north of Chiang Rai) to Fang (north in Chiang Mai province), it could make an interesting stop. The temperature of the hot spring is between 70-109 degrees celsius. It is situated amid scenic landscape with hidropathic rooms, a pond and a spa garden for those who wish to take a mineral baht for healing purposes.
Ban Ta Khao Tom Tha Sud Hilltribe Village is almost as same Ban Ta Khao Pluak. It is also an etchnic community inhabited by different groups of people. The only difference is that Ban Ta Khao Tom Tha Sud is smaller than Ban Ta Khao Pluak Hilltribe Village. However, you can still do many interesting activities just like at Ban Ta Khao Pluak. The villagers are also friendly. Therefore you can choose to go to any of these, or you may just visit both of them.
This is still not too far, only about 32 kilometres away from Wat Tham Pa Acha Thong. You will arrive at this stunning cave temple. This temple is in fact a cave under a limestone mountain. There is a beautiful water source there, with schools of swimming fishes. You can see how lovely they are. Or, you can walk into the cave to pay respect to ‘Phra Song Kruang’, a Burmese-style Buddha statue.
This is just about 27 kilometres away from the monastery. By visiting there, you can pay respect to the respectable Buddha’s collarbone relics of Chiangrai and admire the two sparkling, golden pagodas, which have gone through some renovations. This is a temple for people who were born in year of the pig. If you are one of these, try to visit it at least once in lifetime.
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