The happiest monk in Thailand?
Back in December 2020, before the Covid-lockdown hit domestic travel in Thailand, we visited Khao Yai , an area we know really well but haven’t been to so much in recent years.
We were passing a mountain cave temple I’d seen from afar many times but hadn’t visited. I decided we should pop in to Wat Tham Phrom Chinn Thammaram (วัดถ้ำพรหมจรรย์ธรรมมาราม – 14°33’45.4″N 101°18’05.7″E) for a look.
At the top of the long flight of concrete stairs (309 steps apparently) up to the cave, we met this old monk sweeping the stairs. He said that in order to see inside the cave we’d need the lights on, and the light switch was at the bottom of the stairs – he volunteered to go down and flick on the switch despite our protests that I’d go down and do it. He was super fit from his daily ups and downs of the stairs, and he was back up to us within minutes to take us to the top of the stairs and on a guided tour of the cave.
What a lovely charming man, constantly laughing and smiling, skinny as could be with super taut muscles. In great shape for his age.
Ok, he may not be THE happiest monk in Thailand but he must be up there with the happiest.
He told us there were just the two monks in the Wat, he was the youngest. As the other monk wasn’t well, he had to take care of the Wat.
Despite the Wat being a few hundred yards off the main road in to Khai Yai main tourist area and there’s a village about 10 minutes away, he said they rarely had visitors and they were seriously lacking in funds.
So next time you are in Khao Yai area why not stop off for a visit – and do leave a donation and help the monks.Provinces
UPDATE 26.01.2026:
I posted the above as a LinkedIn post 4 years ago (circa 2021-22). The wife and i revisited in January 2023, especially to see the monk, but unfortunately we didn’t see any monks at the wat that day, however i had a look today (26.01.2026) at the comments for the Wat on google maps and was pleased to see that someone had posted a year ago that ” There is only one elder monk live in the temple “, so hopefully my favorite monk is still ok.
Google Translation:
Who is the happiest monk in Thailand?
Back in December 2020, before the COVID lockdowns impacted domestic travel in Thailand, we visited Khao Yai, an area we were very familiar with but hadn’t visited in many years.
We drove past a cave temple in the mountains that I had seen from afar many times but never been inside. So I decided we should stop and take a look at Wat Tham Phrom Chinthammaram (Wat Tham Phrom Chinthammaram – 14°33’45.4″N 101°18’05.7″E).
Upon reaching the top of the long concrete staircase leading up to the cave, we found an elderly monk sweeping the stairs. He explained that in order to see inside the cave temple, we needed to turn on the lights, and the switch was at the bottom of the stairs. He offered to go down and turn them on for us, even though we objected, saying we would do it ourselves. He was very strong from climbing the stairs every day and returned within minutes to show us around the cave.
He is a very lovely and charming man, always laughing and smiling. He is slender but very muscular, and in excellent health for his age.
Okay, he may not be the happiest monk in Thailand, but he’s definitely among the happiest.
He told us there were only two monks in the temple. He was the youngest, and because the other monk was in poor health, he had to take care of the temple.
Although the temple is located just a few hundred meters from the main road leading to Khao Yai’s main tourist attractions, and about a 10-minute drive from a nearby village, he said there are hardly any tourists and they are severely lacking funds.
So, the next time you’re in the Khao Yai area, why not stop by and visit, and don’t forget to donate to support the monks?
Updated 26.01.2026:
I posted the above message on LinkedIn four years ago (around 2021-2022). My wife and I revisited the temple in January 2023, specifically to see the monks, but unfortunately, we didn’t find any there that day. However, today (January 26, 2026), I looked at reviews of the temple on Google Maps and was pleased to see someone had posted last year that “There is only one senior monk living in the temple.” So hopefully, my favorite monk is doing well.
