Art Utopia Wiki

Tham Khao Luang — Phetchaburi, Thailand

Shafts of sunlight falling through the roof of a cave onto white chedis, a golden seated Buddha and visitors below
Artwork FilePhetchaburi · Thailand

Tham Khao Luang

StandingMay 2024

Restored by King Mongkut (Rama IV), enriched under King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) · Khao Luang hill

Photo: Zinneke / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), the photo used in the World Art Utopia post. Full photograph shown.

Tham Khao Luang is a Buddhist cave sanctuary inside Khao Luang, a 92 m (300 ft) hill in Phetchaburi, where an open shaft in the roof lets sunlight fall onto the cave floor. Its Buddha images, more than a hundred in all, were restored or added largely under Kings Rama IV and Rama V. Source Source Source Checked

Standing May 2024 — A Phetchaburi Provincial Public Relations Office page dated May 13, 2024, describes the cave as restored and developed for visitors, with guides for groups; the newest dated Commons photo is from December 30, 2022. Source Source Checked

More photos

Looking up at a ragged opening in the cave roof, with tree roots hanging down toward a boulder-strewn floor
2019 The roof openingPhoto: BerryJ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Whitewashed cave wall with an arched gateway revealing a golden reclining Buddha and a small figure in a niche
2019 Wall, gateway and niche figurePhoto: BerryJ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Long golden reclining Buddha draped in saffron cloth on a low platform beneath a rough cave ceiling
2022 The reclining BuddhaPhoto: Kriengsak Jirasirirojanakorn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

💡 4 things to know

  1. Sunlight through the roofThe second section, the widest part of the cave, has an open shaft that lets daylight reach the floor; it also holds the principal seated Buddha, about 3 m (10 ft) across the lap. Source Source Checked
  2. A king’s restorationAs a monk, the future Rama IV had the cave’s damaged Buddha images restored, and as king he ordered stairways built; a marble inscription beside three old images records his restoration of them. Source Source Checked
  3. Images named for the royal familyAbout 22 images carry inscribed names of royal family members and royal consorts, almost all made in Rama V’s reign; one image bears the seals of Reigns 1 to 5 at its base. Source Source Checked
  4. Hired guardiansWorried that thieves would scrape off the gold leaf worshippers applied, Rama IV had local Lao Phuan and Lao Song Dam villagers paid to guard the cave, and later created two official posts to look after it. Source Checked

📍 Where it is

Near the center of Khao Luang hill, Thong Chai subdistrict, Mueang Phetchaburi district, Phetchaburi province, about 5 km (3 mi) from the Khao Wang palace hill. Source Source Source Checked

Open in Maps

Opens a map at these coordinates.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 185820 Dec

    Rama IV visits and stays overnight

  2. 185927 Oct

    Rama IV gilds images in the cave

  3. 1860

    Royal pair of bells hung

  4. 20147 Apr

    Sunlight falls through the roof shaft

  5. 201917 Feb

    Roof opening with hanging roots

  6. 201917 Feb

    Whitewashed wall and gateway

  7. 202230 Dec

    Reclining Buddha photographed

  8. 202413 May

    Province describes cave open to visitors

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

✅ The facts

Location
Thong Chai, Mueang Phetchaburi, Phetchaburi, Thailand Source Checked
Size
About 20 by 40 wa (roughly 40 by 80 m, 130 by 260 ft) Source Checked
Buddha images
About 132 (Thai Cultural Encyclopedia) or more than 180 (Showcaves) Source Source Conflicting
Reclining Buddha
About 14 m (46 ft) long Source Checked
Royal patrons
Rama IV (King Mongkut) and Rama V (King Chulalongkorn) Source Source Checked
Royal bells
A pair given by Rama IV in 1860; one remains Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: November 13, 2026 · How we verify art