The Caves of Ratchaburi, Thailand Martin Ellis 2 | The Caves of Ratchaburi The Caves of Thailand The Caves of Ratchaburi Draft edition Xxxxxx 2012 Published by Takobi Ltd Shepton Mallet Somerset UK [email protected] http://www.thailandcaves.shepton.org.uk Copyright © Martin Ellis, 2012 The Caves of Ratchaburi | 3 CONTENTS CAVE DESCRIPTIONS ............................................................................................................................ 4 UNKNOWN AMPHOE ................................................................................................................................ 4 BANG PHAE ............................................................................................................................................... 4 CHOM BUENG ............................................................................................................................................ 5 KHAO YOI .................................................................................................................................................. 7 MUANG RATCHABURI ............................................................................................................................... 7 PAK THO .................................................................................................................................................. 12 PHOTHARAM ........................................................................................................................................... 14 SUAN PHENG ........................................................................................................................................... 17 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................ 18 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................................... 18 2. CAVE DATA (L ISTED BY CODE NUMBER ) ............................................................................................ 22 3. CAVES LISTED BY LENGTH .................................................................................................................. 24 INDEX ....................................................................................................................................................... 25 4 | The Caves of Ratchaburi CAVE DESCRIPTIONS he caves are grouped by province and amphoe (administrative district) and then listed Talphabetically. The code letters were created by John Dunkley in "Caves of Thailand" and have been continued in the Thai caves database maintained by the author. All co-ordinates are UTM grid on the WGS 1984 datum. Abbreviations, acronynms and symbols used: † = topographic name from map or gazetteer – it is possible that there isn't a cave at these locations. Alt.: - altitude BCRA – British Cave Research Association SMCC – Shepton Mallet Caving Club, UK SSAPO - Société Spéléologique de l'Ariège-Pays d'Olmes, France UIS – Union Internationale de Spéléologie VR – vertical range of the cave. Unknown Amphoe Tham Mae Pim RB0012 Khao Mae Pim Length: 170 m The cave is on Khao Mae Pim. Tham Mae Pim is a large cave with avens up to 55 m high. Dunkley (1995); Kusch (1982) Tham Thip RB0056 Fred Stone visited this cave on 25 January 1975 and caught a specimen of the spider Speocera (Speocera) stellafera Deeleman-Reinhold, 1995. Deeleman-Reinhold (1995) †Tham Yod Thong RB0047 Wat Tham Yod Thong The temple is close enough to a quarry for fly rocks to enter the wat grounds. Anon. (2006) Bang Phae †Tham Nop RB0032 47P 599128 1512891 Ban Tham Nop, Wang Yen The village is south-east of Ratchaburi. The Caves of Ratchaburi | 5 This site may not be a cave. Dunkley (1995) Chom Bueng Khao Thalu RB0004 47P 563106 1501720 Rang Bua Marked on 1:250,000 map 5 km south of Chom Bueng. Google Earth shows that this hill is being heavily quarried. Dunkley (1995) Khao Thalu RB0067 47P 565620 1513965 Alt.: 100 m Wat Tham Mongkut, Pak Chong Length: 20 m The hole through the hill is very obvious when driving into the temple. The arch is about 10 m wide, 30 m high and about 20 m long. Tham Chom Pon RB0001 47P 563556 1506399 Alt.: 111 m Khao Chom Pon, Chom Bueng Length: 290 m VR: 10 m Other names: Tham Chompol; Tham Khao Bung; Tham Chom Bung; Tham Jompol; Tham Mut Cha Lin An attractive show cave located in Khao Chom Phon in a public park at the west end of Chom Bueng. The cave in an arboretum and there is a 10 baht entrance fee (5 baht for children). A flight of steps leads to the entrance and another flight down inside so that the cave is more or less level with the plain outside. The impressive, well decorated 20 m wide and 8-10 m high main passage appears to be a relict of a major stream and contains evidence of occasional standing water. At the southern end a large daylight hole opens into a 25 m diameter chamber dominated by an 8 m reclining Buddha. The cave is a bat roost. The following fauna has been recorded from the cave:- Digena:- Anchitrema sanguineum (Sansio, 1894) Coleoptera:- Type locality for Dichillus kuschstaberi Kaszab, 1980 Bats:- Taphozous melanopogon Temminck, 1841 Taphozous theobaldi Dobson, 1872 Megaderma lyra Geoffroy, 1810 Hipposideros armiger armiger (Hodgson, 1835) Hipposideros bicolor Temminck, 1834 Hipposideros larvatus (Horsfield, 1823) The cave has little propsect of extension and is in a small limestone hill. 6 | The Caves of Ratchaburi In the year 1895 H.M. King Chulalongkorn and H.M. Queen Sri Bajarindra made a royal visit there and they liked the beauty of this cave very much thus giving a new name, Tham Chom Pon or Field Marshal Cave. On the 23 March 1978 H. Kusch and I. Staber visited the cave and caught the holotype of Dichillus kuschstaberi Kaszab, 1980. Aggimarangsee (1992); Ashayagachat (2008); Boutin (1971); Deharveng et al. (1988); Doré (2012); Dunkley (1995); Halliday (1989); Kaszab (1980); Kulsok et al. (2009); Laorpaksa et al. (1987); Yenbutra & Felton (1986) Tham Kap RB0002 47P 563093 1507250 Chom Bueng About 1 km north of Tham Chom Pon. There is no further information available. Dunkley (1995) †Tham Khao Chum Dong RB0049 47P 566500 1498934 Wat Tham Khao Chum Dong Tham Khao Khan Hok RB0068 47P 558312 1512258 Boek Phrai Tham Kom Un RB0003 47P 563093 1507250 Chom Bueng About 1 km north of Tham Chom Bung. There is no further information available. Dunkley (1995) Tham Mongkut RB0060 47P 565512 1514071 Alt.: 93 m Wat Tham Mongkut, Pak Chong Length: 75 m The temple is signed just north of Pak Chong to the east of the H4030. The temple is about 2 km from the highway at the foot of a small, isolated limestone hill. Thirty steps lead up to the phreatic half-tube entrance. This soon opens into a daylit chamber with Buddha statue. From here there is about 50 m of passage leading to a chamber lit by a skylight with another Buddha statue. The cave is reported to continue to a second entrance, but this passage is dangerous as it is home to cobras. Another side passage was also reported to be dangerous. †Tham Singto Thong RB0052 47P 570134 1507797 Wat Tham Singto Thong, Pak Chong The Caves of Ratchaburi | 7 The temple is half way between Chom Bueng and Pak Chong, to the north of the H3087. Tham Wat Khao Pin Thon RB0062 47P 574579 1510752 Wat Khao Pin Thon, Pak Chong The temple is on the H4036 2 km north of Pak Chong. Khao Yoi †Tham Hop RB0031 47P 584832 1474130 Khao Tham Hop, Nong Chumphon Nuea Dunkley (1995) Muang Ratchaburi Rock Shelter RB0041 RB0041 47P 584750 1499937 Khao Ngu, Ko Phlapphla A minor archaeological site near Tham Fa Tho. Dunkley (1995); Sarasin (1933) Tham Cham RB0010 47P 583615 1500745 Khao Ngu, Ko Phlapphla Length: 35 m Located at the southern end of the Khao Ngu range, 7 km west of Ratchaburi. Tham Cham is above Tham Chin. Discovered in 1966, the cave is 20 m high and profusely ornamented with stucco work and paved with brick. The decorations consist of a scene of the Great Miracle of Sravasti on the north wall, the Parinirvana scene on the west wall and an unidentified scene on the right of the side entrance. Boisselier (1972),(1991),(1993); Dunkley (1995); Krairiksh (1975); Kusch (1976); Munier (1988); Sponsel & Natadecha-Sponsel (2003) Tham Chin RB0009 47P 583624 1500745 Khao Ngu, Ko Phlapphla Length: 25 m Located at the southern end of the Khao Ngu range, 7 km west of Ratchaburi.This cave is below Tham Cham. Discovered in 1966, Tham Chin contains two Buddha images executed in the Dvaravati style, later modified during the Ayutthaya period. Boisselier (1972),(1993); Dunkley (1995); Krairiksh (1975); Kusch (1976); Munier (1988) 8 | The Caves of Ratchaburi Tham Fa Tho RB0008 47P 583861 1500841 Khao Ngu, Ko Phlapphla Length: 50 m Located at the southern end of the Khao Ngu range, 7 km west of Ratchaburi. Tham Fa Tho is near the top of the hill. This is the smallest of the Khao Ngu caves. The cave is a corridor 3 to 4 m high, about 3 m wide and the main part is 12 m long. There is an 8.2 m long reclining Buddha carved in situ on the left side as one enters the cave. This dates to the Dvaravati period and the Buddha was covered with stucco. Only fragments of the halo remain today, along with parts of the Sala tree. There is also a bas-relief of three worshippers, 2.6 m, 2.3 m and 1.5 m high, carved at the same level as the Buddha's head, on the right side of the entrance. The cave was closed by a wall decorated with ceramics during the late Ayutthaya-early bangkok period