Attraction Details :
Nha Pha Goddess’s ShrineNha Pha Goddess’ Shrine is generally called Pueng Tao Ma’s Shrine or Goddess’s Shrine. It is located in the west of the Ping Riverside. It is around 2 kilometers off Pak Nam Pho Market along the Ko See Road. In the area of the riverside are high and steep rocks so they are called “Nha Pha” consisting of:
1.Nha Pha God-Goddess or “Pueng Tao Gong- Pueng Tao Ma” or “Pen Tou Gong- Pen Tou Ma” in Hainan Language.
2.Guan Yu or “Guang Gong”
3.Sawan Goddess (Heaven Goddess) or “Tian Hou Xia Bo” or “Ma Zhou” or “Tian Hou Sheng Mu” in Hainan Langauge or “Ma Zhu” in Hokkien Langauge.
4.Cai Xing Iea (God of walth) or “Cai Sen Hei” in Hainan Langauge.
History of Nha Pha Goddess’s Shrine has been told by generations to generations that an old couple dreamt about an older woman with long hair and soaked body told them that she got very cold because she had been floated on the water from Ayudhaya to Nakhonsawn Province and the older woman asked the couple for retrieving her from the water. Next morning, the couple went to the riverside which was in the area of vortex. It was quite a high and steep cliff then the people call “Nha Pha.” They also discovered a 1-foot-wide and 2-foot-high black Sandalwood which was carved as a goddess in a rock fault in which the villagers found other shapes, therefore, they installed the carved Goddess and other shapes together and constructed a small shrine in the area of riverside.
Afterwards, Nguan Seng, the owner of Nguan Seng Hotel and wood mill for selling boards, dreamt about an old woman with long hair asked him to construct a shrine and dreamt the same dream for 3 days and told Kung Kiem to help him to find the Goddess by travelling to find the Goddess from along riverside in the north to the area of cliff and he saw the temporary wooden shrine at the riverside, asked people if the land was empty so as to use it for constructing the shrine and slowly restored to be a large shrine.
Nha Pha Goddess, whose original name is Thong Suk or Lum Duan Goddess, is generally respected and revered even by the Laos Song who call her Thong Dum Goddess. The name derives from the fact that the original Goddess’s picture was carved in black sandalwood and people believe that the goddess likes to chew betel nuts. At present, the goddess was sculpted and people change its clothes to Chinese style and was known in the name of “Nha Pha Goddess”.
Inside of the Shrine, Pueng Tao Ma (Nha Pha Goddess) is the principal statue along with Pueng Tao Gong (Nha Pha God) imitating Thepharak God and other gods, most people worship for their fortune. Pueng Tao Gong and Pueng Tao Ma are gods that are highly worshipped by the oversea Chinese, as the names suggest them to be the biggest gods of protection in houses, which can be compared as Phra Phumi in Thai. Later, the statues are normally taken for procession. They can also be called “Pak Nam Pho God and Goddess” and this has become a local tradition until to now.
Opening Hours
Every day from 6.00 am. to 5 p.m.
For more information, you can call 056 514 982
Travelling
Travellers can use Highway Number 1 and then take highway no.32 through Ayudthaya – Anugthong – Singburi – Chainard – Uthaithani – Nakhonsawan Province. The distance from Bangkok is around 240 kilometers. Once arriving in Nakhonsawan, they can cross Dhechatiwong Bridge, turn right on Sawanvithi Road, drive along the road about 3 kilometers then turn right to Thamvithi Road, turn left to Ko Si Road about 600 meters and they will see the Shrine at the riverside on their right hand.
