อ่านภาษาไทย
The Miracle of Phang Nga: Crawl through Phung Chang Cave, admire the strangely shaped stalactites, and pay respect to the Shrine of Por Ta Khao Chang before entering the cave. If you are interested in entering Phung Chang Cave, you can contact the staff because a private company provides adventure tourism services inside the cave. There will be staff to assist you at the Shrine of Por Ta Khao Chang, which is located in front of the cave.
The word Phang Nga is said to be distorted from Phu Nga (Kra Phu Nga), which refers to this Elephant Mountain (Phu means mountain, Nga means elephant). When you come to Phang Nga, you must visit Elephant Mountain because it is the city's landmark and the location of the Shrine of Por Ta Khao Chang. In the middle of the mountain, there is a deep cave that is cool and comfortable. Queen Rambhai Barni visited a long time ago. There is still a royal signature in front of the cave. Tourists can take a rubber boat and walk through the water. Phung Chang Cave has a legend that has been passed down as follows:
A long time ago, there was a man named Ta Yae Modueng (a very strange name) who was a wandering man who asked to live with Ta Chong Dong, who had a beautiful daughter. Ta Yae Modueng was diligent and hardworking, which pleased Ta Chong Dong, so he gave his daughter to him. After getting married, they separated and started a family, farming and producing abundant crops. Unfortunately, near the harvest season, a herd of wild elephants trampled and destroyed the crops. Ta Yae Modueng was very angry and grabbed a spear to hunt down the herd of wild elephants. Along the way, he encountered Ta Ngum's elephant, mistakenly thinking it was a wild elephant, so he killed that elephant. He even used a spear to drag the elephant's liver, kidneys, and intestines out to cook, and also cut off the elephant's tusks. When that innocent elephant was killed, it became Elephant Mountain or Khao Rup Chang. Phung Chang Cave was created because of the wound that Ta Yae Modueng used a spear to stab.
Phung Chang Cave is located in the area of Wat Praphat Prachim Khet or Wat Tham Phung Chang. The Shrine of Por Ta Khao Chang is a sacred place that the people of Phang Nga respect and worship. The celebration of Por Ta Khao Chang is held every year on the 15th day of the waxing moon in the 5th month, with the community participating in the celebration activities.
Currently, only a portion of Phung Chang Cave is open to visitors, about 1.2 kilometers long. It takes about 1.5 hours to explore, starting with paying respect to Por Ta Khao Chang, then taking a rubber boat into the cave, followed by a bamboo raft because the area is narrow and inconvenient for rowing, before walking through the water to see the strange and wonderful things inside the cave, which has a cool breeze blowing throughout the way, and you may encounter animals that live inside the cave, such as fish or turtles.
Highlights inside the cave
Stone pillar named Elephant Pagoda
Bright Heart, Dark Heart, caused by shadows when exposed to light
Overturned Lotus Stone
Sacred Well
Erawan Stone, resembling a three-headed elephant
Golden Curtain Stone
Giant Turtle Stone
Dinosaur Stone
Jellyfish Stone
Coffee Straw
Child-shaped Stone
Heron Shape
Miraculous White Elephant
In addition, in front of Phung Chang Cave, there is also a flock of cute monkeys waiting to welcome tourists. The monkeys are often mischievous and restless, climbing trees and jumping into the water, as if they want to please visitors.
