Phuket is known for its colourful Chinese shrines, especially during the famous Phuket Vegetarian Festival. But many of these shrines are worth visiting at any time of the year. Over the years, we visited many of them across the island. Some are large and easy to find, others are smaller and hidden in the old streets of Phuket Town or by the roadside. In this section, we share the shrines we explored in Phuket, with photos and tips to help visitors discover them.
San Chao Mae Yanang Shrine, stands on Krabi Road in Phuket Town. A Chinese migrant founded the temple in 1853 during Phuket’s tin-mining boom, when many Chinese families settled on the island and brought their beliefs and rituals with them.
Sam Pai Kong Shrine, often called Bangku Shrine, stands on Thepkasattri Road in Koh Kaew, a few minutes east of the British International School. They believe Chinese tin mine workers built the first modest hall more than 100 years ago.
Tucked behind Vachira Phuket Hospital on Yaowarat Road, San Chao Jeng Ong Shrine is easy to miss. A banyan tree guards the entrance, filtering afternoon light onto a red facade trimmed with jade-green tiles and twisting dragons.
One of Phuket Town’s lesser-known Hokkien shrines San Chao Cho Ong, or Tai Yuan Tang, is a small but very old Chinese shrine on the… Read More »San Chao Cho Ong Shrine
Pun Tuao Kong Shrine (San Chao Phra Pun Tao Kong) is a small Chinese shrine sitting quietly on the edge of the road at the top of Patong Hill. Many people drive past it without noticing, but locals know it well.
Long Hun Keng Shrine (肜雲宮) is a small and lesser-known Chinese shrine located along Thepkasattri Road in Phuket Town. Despite its modest size and low profile, it holds cultural significance for the local Chinese-Thai community, especially during the Vegetarian Festival.
Put Jaw Shrine is one of the oldest Chinese shrines in Phuket, located in Phuket Town. It was originally built more than 200 years ago and is dedicated to the Chinese goddess Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy. The shrine plays a significant role in the spiritual life of the local Chinese-Thai community.
Sam Sae Chu Hut Chinese Shrine is a modest and discreet Chinese shrine located near the intersection of Khaw Sim Bee Road and Mae Luan Road, on the way up to Khao Rang Hill in Phuket Town; opened in May 2002.
Tha Rua Shrine is one of the oldest Chinese shrines in Phuket, found in Thalang District on Thepkasattri Road about 800m south of the Heroines’ Monument. It’s an important site during the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, when thousands of devotees come to hold ceremonies and eat vegetarian food during the event’s nine days.
Kio Thian Keng Shrine is a colourful Chinese shrine that is set on the seashore inside Saphan Hin public park in Phuket Town. It’s a place of worship for the local Chinese-Thai community, and it plays an important role as the site of the final farewell to the gods during the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival.
Hok Nguan Kong Shrine is a Chinese temple near the Surin Clock Circle in Phuket Town, founded more than 80 years ago by the Chinese-Thai community in Phuket. Hok Nguan Kong Shrine’s design features many traditional Chinese motifs, including columns wrapped with large dragon images, wall murals with tigers, and bright red and yellow colours throughout
Lai Thu Tao Bo Keng is one of the oldest Chinese shrines in Phuket, and many believe it was the birthplace of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival nearly two centuries ago. The shrine is located in the subdistrict of Kathu in the island’s interior, between Phuket Town and Patong Beach.
Bang Neow Shrine in Phuket Town is one of Phuket’s oldest and most revered Chinese shrines. It’s one of the main shrines taking part in the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival It is a place of worship and merit-making activity for the local Chinese-Thai community throughout the year.
Lim Hu Tai Su is a Chinese Taoist shrine on the north side of Phuket Town, also known as Sam Kong Shrine, for the neighbourhood in which it’s found. Though not as well known by visitors as larger Chinese shrines like Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket’s Old Town area, Sam Kong Shrine is a revered place of worship for the local community. It’s become a key part of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival when it hosts several ceremonies and a procession during the annual 9-day event.
Jui Tui Shrine (Kew Ong) is one of the oldest and most important on Phuket Island. It plays a significant role during the famous Phuket Vegetarian Festival, usually held in October and November. The festival dates use the Lunar Calendar, and the festival’s exact dates change every year.
The Shrine of the Serene Light is a beautifully decorated Chinese Temple on Phang Nga Road, one of the most famous streets of Phuket Town. It used to be ‘the little hidden Chinese temple’ tucked away at the end of a small path, right under your nose. While most Thais knew all about it, only a few foreigners were aware of its existence, and those who knew would proudly whisper its secret location to newbies like an old secret passage to some mystic temple.
