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The Lower Cave at Pak Ou, known as Tham Ting is entered from a series of steps above the boat landing. The cave is open to the light revealing the shrine that this cave has become. Hundreds of small buddhas made of resin, soapstone, sandstone, horn, and carved wood finished with lacquer and gold leaf are everywhere. They stand in rows, on shelves of stone, or in tight huddles in small alcoves. They wear carved robes finished in crimson, and enigmatic smiles on their faces. Others have curving arms reaching almost to their feet.
Updated Apr 3, 2005
Address: Confluence of Mekong River and Nam Ou River
The Upper Cave, known as Tham Phum, contains the majority of the 4000 buddhas. There is no natural light so flashlights are needed. They can be obtained at the front of the cave.
If you arrive at a time when the tourist hordes aren't around then this cave is quite atmospheric with some cool buddha statues to look at. Otherwise, you end up wandering around with a torch trying to avoid running into people.
Updated Apr 3, 2005
Address: Confluence of Mekong River and Nam Ou River
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You pay 60 baht or 25.000 Kip entrance fee.
The lower cave is the most interesting: thousands of buddhas are waiting for you.
They come in all kinds of greatness, colour en materials. Very impressive.
Pak Ou is something of 1 hour by boat or 25 kilometers from Luang Prabang.
Written Jan 15, 2005
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From the lower cave a path with hundreds of steps leads you up, passing against the face of the cliff, to Tham Phum cave.
The majority of the buddha images (about 4000) are inside this cave, but you need a torch to visit it (you can rent it there), since no natural light penetrates inside the cave. There's a main cavern and some smaller passages to explore, but the atmosphere is not as poignant as in the lower cave.
Written Feb 25, 2003
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Tham Ting is the lower cave of the two Pak Ou caves: it's about 10 metres above the boat landing. It's the most scenic of the two and serves especially as a srhine and worshipping place. There are places to kneel down and pray, and candles, incense and other offerings or mantras to buy.
you realise that it is more a shrine than a cave: there is a place to kneel before the biggest Buddha images, maybe to light a candle or burn some incense. All around there are hundreds and hundreds of buddha images - small, large, standing, sitting... all sorts of buddhas basically.
Written Feb 25, 2003
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Pak Ou caves are two caves that are found inside the vertical limestone cliffs opposite Pak Ou village.
For a couple of thousand years they have been an important place of worship.
At the beginning people used to worship
the river spirit and gods, and when Buddhism spread into Laos they simply shifted god, filled the caves with buddha images and statues, and went on worshipping there.
Written Feb 25, 2003
An old temple where have some interesting stuffs such as viharn with mural painting on the front panel.It depicted about Buddha's life and some local beliefs.
Written Dec 30, 2005
Or so called Ting cave.Inside caves housed so many Buddha images donated by local people.
Open: 8.00 am.-5.00 pm.
Written Dec 30, 2005
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This is the only picture I have of the slow boat where we lived for two whole days between the Thai border and Luang Prabang.
The picture is taken from the Pak Ou cave.
Written Jan 15, 2005
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This is a picture faken from the inside of the cave with a few statues and the Mekong in the background.
I love the contrast in light.
Written Jan 15, 2005
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This is a picture faken from the inside of the cave with a few statues and the Mekong in the background.I love the contrast in light.
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A handful of villagers, two dozens of wooden houses raised off the ground. This is Pak Ou village.
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