Wat Khuha Phimuk (Wat Na Tham)

Also known as Wat Na Tham, this cave temple is one of the three most revered places in the South, along with Phra Borommathat at Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phra Borommathat Chaiya at Surat Thani, signifying the importance of Buddhism in the area since the Srivijaya Period. A stream runs through the grounds of the temple. A sculpture of a giant built in 1941, known by locals as Chao Khao, protects the entrance of a cave that houses the temple’s reclining Buddha statue. Inside the cave is a large chamber that has been converted into a religious area, with an opening in the roof of the cave that lets in sunlight. The reclining Buddha is believed to date from the middle of the eighth century, around the Srivijaya Period. It is nearly 25 meters long. It is believed that the sculpture was in the Sleeping Narai posture but was later modified into the Hinayana reclining position.This temple is located in Tambon Na Tham, about 8 kilometres from the town center, on the road to Amphoe Yaha.