Tham Ting Cave

Located about 30 kilometers north to Luang Prabang, on the east bank of Mekong River, Tham Ting Cave is the most important cave of Luang Prabang. It is considered as the soul of Mekong River. It is in a small village named Ban Shang Hai. There are about 4, 000 Buddhism statues in various appearances and sizes. The villagers made a living by fishing before the Buddhism was introduced into Laos, and supplied the fishes for the surrounding places. Laos people started to believe in natural spirit when Buddhism became popular in Laos, and they began to pay attention to this natural Buddhism cave. Every year the king will hold a religious ceremony with the local villagers in the cave, and he hired many artists to teach them carving skills. Most of the statues were built and carved in the recent 200 years.