Kathu Shrine

Kathu Shrine, Aam Kathu:

The Kathu Shrine is located in Kathu Village, about two kilometers from the Kathu-Patong junction on Samkong-Kathu road. On your drive toward the village you’ll pass the Floating Market on your right and find the Kathu Temple on your left; not far from there you’ll see the entrance to the shrine, where you’ll turn right into a small street which will lead you to the parking lot.

Kathu district was, at some time in history, well known for the abundance of minerals, especially tin, thus attracting many Chinese immigrants who came to work in the mines. These immigrants brought with them their culture, doctrine, religion as well as their respect of gods and ancestors, which subsequently resulted in the establishment of the esteem Kathu Shrine and provided the Chinese guests with a link to their deities.

Kathu Shrine, Lai Thu Tao Do Keng in Chinese and Aam Kathu or Chai-tueng as the elderly locals call it, shares a long history with the Phuket population and is the starting point of the renowned Vegetarian Festival which is held every year during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar and is one of Phuket’s oldest festival.

The current shrine was just recently refurbished, following the style of shrines in China, and replaced the much smaller original shrine with one much bigger and more attractive. Filled with many statues of Chinese gods, you can also see many holy Buddha images made of wood, some nearly as old as a hundred years. You will also find a place dedicated to Guan Yin, the goddess of compassion, easily recognizable with her white dress, full face, a red spot on her forehead and a bottle of holy water in her right hand while giving blessings with her left hand and standing on a dragon. This Guan Yin statue is regarded as one of the most important Chinese god statue to which visitors come from afar to pay their utmost respect.