Tham Pa Fa (Buddha Cave)

Tham Pa Fa, known to travellers as Buddha Cave, lies about 12 kilometres northeast of Thakhek, accessible by motorbike or bicycle on a manageable road. The cave entrance sits at the base of a limestone cliff above a lake (Nong Pa Fa). The lower level is partially flooded and visited by canoe; the upper level is dry and houses the extraordinary collection of ancient Buddhist statues.

The 229 statues were discovered in 2004 and have since been studied by archaeologists, who date them to between 500 and 600 years ago. They remain in place in the cave, arranged as they were found among the stalactites. The combination of the setting, the mystery of their origin and placement, and the quality of the statues themselves makes this one of the most quietly remarkable sites in Laos — without the crowds that would form around a comparable discovery elsewhere.

things to do sight
A story
The cave was discovered in April 2004 when a local farmer went hunting and noticed a hole in the base of a limestone cliff. He climbed in and found 229 bronze Buddha statues that had been placed there, by unknown hands, an estimated 450 years ago. The statues range from 15 centimetres to over a metre in height and include examples from the Lane Xang, Sikhottabong, Khmer, and Vietnamese traditions. No one knows who placed them there or why — the most plausible theory involves preservation during a period of political instability, with the intention to recover them that was never fulfilled.