This temple is located near the entrance to the Khao Luang Caves in Phetchaburi, Thailand. I'll be frank, open and honest: I have no idea what this is or what was going on here, it's just pretty cool.
Leaving the caves, I was walking towards the town center when I heard some enchanting music coming from a temple complex. I walked in, looked at some buildings, saw a group of friendly female monks, and I thought that was that. I was about to leave when one motherly monk instructed with finger pointing that I should go inside a small cave. Why not.
I popped my head in and I couldn't believe what I saw. The perfect expression for Thailand: neon lights and garish colours illuminating statues of Buddha along with glamorous female figures splattered with make-up and gold leaf. It was like a cave temple in a club. Somehow the two worlds seem to overlap for a second. The floor, as you can see in the photos, was covered in fake grass and these tiny caverns resembled the Shire from the Lord of the Rings. Little houses kept safe statuettes of women, decorated brightly and without much concern for taste or style. It was gaudy, it was kitschy, but somehow I got the impression these idols carried a sexual nature as well.
There were maybe four or five Shire houses in total, each with its own female form. Gifts are scattered around and at the feet of each of the statues, ranging from make-up kits and pretty dresses still in plastic wrap, to fake iPhones and necklaces. They were offerings, I guess, and I suppose people would come here to try and shift their fortunes in their favour by pleasing the little deity. The entire thing felt like a psychedelic cave doll house.
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