The Legend of the Golden Horse Temple

[SilverhawkUSA]

March 17, 2008
Riders: Silverhawk (Dave Early) Davidfl ( David Unkovich)
Bikes: Suzuki DR650se, Honda Africa Twin 750

Destination: Wat Tham Pa Are Cha Tong (north of Chiang Rai)

The Golden Horse Temple

There is a legend of a fighting monk (called “The Tiger Monk”) who lives in the Monastery of the Golden Horse. This monk allegedly gave up a successful boxing career, some 16 years ago, and took up the calling of the monkhood to start this remote temple. He fought and held off Khun Sa and his men until they relented and supported his teachings. He trains young orphans, Nens, in boxing and horseback riding. After hearing this tale I had to find the temple……

Just two of us set out to traverse this valley in the heart of Thailand’s Golden Triangle. We planned to search out and somehow persevere long enough to reach this remote pinnacle in the jungle. Armed with little information, and our thoughts filled with the legends, we bravely turn off the beaten path and headed into this notorious area. 200 meters past the Nam Mae Kham River we made our turn into the unknown.

:twisted: OK, you take Highway 1 to Mae Kham, go past the river and turn left .at the sign.

In the distance we could see the ghostlike silhouettes of the craggy limestone cliffs. We ventured onward winding our way through the valleys and skimming through the shadows of the towering peaks, always wondering if we are being watched and by who. What dangers await us? Then, there it is! An ominous path crossing the river and shooting skyward bids us to continue. I dare not stop for a photo.

:twisted: 7.5km from Hwy 1 turn left at the sign and cross the bridge. Follow the dirt and concrete road.

We approach cautiously as the legend says the gateway is guarded by a huge Golden Stallion who will kick and stomp to death anyone attempting to enter.

:twisted: Go past the signs and under the overhead gate to the tour bus parking area.

An echoing beating of the bell and a piercing call of their master beckons the young and fierce Nens. How will they greet us? The excitement in their faces is evident and the chilling stares penetrate to your spine.

Guarded by figures of all types this must be a truly magical place.

A short distance below we can see where these notorious fighters dedicate themselves to their boxing and defensive skills.

We manage to locate the herd of stallions. As I approach the leader it instantly strikes out with its flaming hooves and I only avoid a horrendous injury by inches

.
:twisted: Well, It did try to kick me.

I bid farewell to the temple, but on my own I venture farther up the mountain ….

There towering above me is the Stupa and the hidden caves. A path is evident and begs to be climbed. Aching to explore further I must wait until I am accompanied by a soul braver than my current partner.
:twisted: What, it was 38 degrees celsius (101 f).

As I ride still higher, my journey comes to an end as I dare not venture any further.

:twisted: Because I just rode into the middle of a Thai motorcycle enduro event being held in the area and I was in the middle of the course.

And so the legend will be passed from generation to generation………

*The road and waypoint (N20 13 34.4 E99 48 25.9) also is shown on the Esri GPS map of Thailand. It will be on Davidfl’s new map of the Golden Triangle.

My Source

The fighting monks of the Golden Horse Temple

Heading north from Chiang Rai for about an hour, the River Kam slinks around the tall cliffs, and high on one of these cliffs perches an ancient monastery, the Wat Maa Tong, or the Golden Horse monastery. The Golden Horse shrine is reputed to date back to the time of the Lord Buddha, where legend has it that he left a sacred footprint there.
Now it is a thriving monastry, but wait, we're getting ahead of ourselves here, the story starts some eleven years back and tells the tale of a young Thai man, at the pinnacle of his boxing career, we are talking about Samerchai.
Samerchai was born to farmer parents in the Muang Chiang Rai district. He worked hard and attended Ramkhamhaeng University, and from there he joined the Army. During his service he built up a deserved reputation as a fierce fighter, a boxer, and was to lose only three fights in fifteen years. It was while he was preparing to challenge for a world title that something strange happened to Samerchai.
Always a devout Buddhist, to the dismay of his many fans, he suddenly turned his back on the world of boxing and decided to enter the priesthood. Leaving his fame and fortune behind, he slipped away into the North and made his home in the jungle caves of Mae Sai. There he sat himself in the Lotus position and began meditating.
For many long days and nights, as is the tradition, like Buddha he sat and he contemplated his own being, seeking the elusive enlightenment. On the seventh night he had a vision. And for each and every night for seven nights afterwards he saw the same vision - go to the Golden Horse shrine. Samerchai followed his heart and the next day began the journey north towards the shrine.
After many weeks of travel, taking alms along the way, Samerchai reached the Golden Horse shrine, which had long been abandoned. It was remote, high up the precipitous mountains and the dark forest that surrounded the shrine was rumoured to be haunted, local villagers in the Mae Kam valley were scared to even go up there.
Samerchai slowly won the respect of the animist villagers there, but his life was by no means easy. The Shan warlord Khun Sa was a fierce and powerful drug baron, a lynchpin in international drug trade, he did not like this monk intruding on his territory. Khun Sa tried to intimidate Samerchai, for the shrine was on the path for the drug traffic between Burma and Northern Thailand.
Khung Sa sent several of his thugs to teach Samerchai a lesson and deliver him a beating, for not even Khung Sa would risk killing a holy man. The thugs did not know who Samerchai was, and outnumbered ten to one, he delivered instead a beating to them. Several times Khung Sa sent his men to 'persuade' the monk to leave, but the monk was not only able to defend himself, he was also clever, and set traps and concealed hinself cunningly, striking only when he was ready.
The Army had all but lost hope of trying to combat the drug trade in the area,when rumour came of the lone monk sitting high in the mountains daring to brave Khun Sa and his thugs. They hunted around for other monks, willing to follow Samerchais lead, and to establish a monastry, bringing their dharma with them and so persuading the hilltribe villagers to abandon the drug trade where they cooperated with Khun Sa.
Samerchais reputation continued to grow among the locals, and one day something strange happened. A local person had won the lottery, and as is common when one encounters a stroke of luck or good karma, the local man gave a fitting donation to the respected monk, and as seemed fittiing he donated a fine horse. Samerchai had another insight, this horse could greatly help him spread the dharma or teachings and at the same time enable him to keep an eye on Khun Sa. He wasn't the only with an insight.
Suddenly horses bound for slaughter were regularly donated to Samerchai, by those that had come into fortunes, or by those that had come to listen to him preach and had been impressed with his dharma. Samerchai and his monks, tended the horses, making them better where necessary, and then donating them to the army or to the hilltribe villagers. At the same time, he took in orphans of parents slaughtered by Khun Sa's militia and ordained them as novices or 'nen'.
They were well cared for, were educated and became disciplined young men, role models for the youth in the surrounding villages. And the nen learned how to ride the donated horses, and how to fight. Samerchai taught them how to defend themselves witht their hands and feet, while never losing their temper. He explains his philosophy,
'Boxing helps me to become a better Buddhist. I learn to control my emotions. I find beauty and peace in and stillness in boxing. I get rid of my animal instincts and control them to the point where they become beautiful, an art form for sport, for education, for the discovery of truth. The word Thai means freedom, and when I practice muay thai I fell free - free from my emotions, from anger'
The revered monk attracted so much attention and support from the local people and the army garrison that Khung Sa gave up his operations and disbanded his militia and is now himself a devotee of Samerchais, admiring his determination and courage. Khung Sa himself is now making amends by helping reforestation projects with his own ill gotten gains. More vicious drug cartels have stepped into the vacuum, but with Khung Sa's knowledge and joint patrols by the fighting monks and the Army, the cartels by no means have an easy life.
Those nen that have now grown up and have graduated, have become translators of various language groups for the Army. Akha, Lisu, Lahu, Cheen Haw (Chinese), Lua, Hmong and Yao boys have all graduated and now help to improve communications between the various border hilltribes.
Samerchai has taught his young charges to respect themselves through self-discipline, Buddhist education, horsemanship and a pride in their people. Challenging the drug caravans is dangerous and perilous, but the reputation of the monk and his standing with the local villages and the Army means that few dare to rid themselves of this 'turbulent priest'.
As more flock to his remote monastry, Samerchai now thinks that it may soon be time to move on. To a greater and more accessible monastery where more can hear this the Dharma of this remarkable monk?
No, smiles Samerchai.
He plans to retreat further into the jungle, to start once again, now that his mission, shown to him in a vision, has been achieved.
There are only two ways to approach the Golden Horse monastery, up a sheer cliff face or from a track from the north. At the gateway there stands a fierce guardian, a tall golden stallion that rises and kicks out at strangers until the monks gather him in. It is a fitting guardian for the Golden Horse temple and the fighting monks of Samerchai, high above the river Kam, in the Golden Triangle of Northern Thailand.
yechydda,
posted Saturday, 26 June 2004

Fighting Monks of the Golden Horse Temple

Little Buddha Documentary

OK, so it wasn’t the adventure we had hoped for. But if you want a short ride from Chiang Mai and want to go to one of those places you can say “been there, done that” this isn’t bad. It is really not too impressive but more on the *strange* side of the pendulum. I will go back to climb up and see what the caves and stupa are about (some nice middle aged Thai lady told me about how nice the walk was and she wasn’t even perspiring!). Perhaps in the cold season…….

 

[Ian Bungy]

Great Report there Dave, Even if it wasn't that interesting to you it had my Attention for a While!!! Great story telling and always fun to actually see for yourself some of these places of Legends. Thanks for taking us along. When i eventually get a Big Dirt Bike i would be up to exploring any of these places with you Have confirmed Buyers for my Raid so am just trying to Find the Replacement. Fingers and Toes Crossed the Motorshow will bring me something :wink:

 

[Pikey]

Wow - I thought I was in a Wilbur Smith novel for a bit there Dave! Good stuff and thanks for also posting the original article. Very interesting. Do you reckon a roadbike could make it to the Temple? If so, and if you want company, I'd be up for a trip in the cool season.

Cheers,

Pikey.

 

[Dougal]

What's that?!!

Demonic drug lord? Super hero Monk? Flaming horses hooves?

By Gad Sir!! That's a cracking yarn!!

 

[SilverhawkUSA]

Thanks for the comments guys. I was laughing the whole trip, thinking of how some of these "adventure writers" and TV specials make such a big deal out of some of these excursions. Had to write it up that way.

No problem on bikes. I was riding together with Davidfl who was on his Africa Twin. The road is paved until you turn up the road into the temple itself. It is dirt but not far and not difficult. It's a good side trip if you are in the area.

I'm always up for a ride (if it's not falling down on muddy single tracks!).

 

[BignTall]

I've been reading and enjoying Silverhawks posts for a few years now. I thought ole Khun Sa had found a new customer in Dave for his opium product resulting in this new writing style from Dave :lol: .

A great bit of insight including the background on the temple, thanks for efforts.

One has to now wonder where next the revered two headed (Early and Unko) David beast will set its sights on exploring? I'm staying glued to the message board awaiting the next adventure .

 

[DavidFL]

SilverhawkUSA wrote: Thanks for the comments guys. I was laughing the whole trip, thinking of how some of these "adventure writers" and TV specials make such a big deal out of some of these excursions.

Yeah I have to laugh at some of the around the world adventure writers - don’t let the facts get in the way of a good totally embellished BS story...

Now we set off from Chiang Mai heading for the depth of the Golden Triangle, using a new highway being cut through the jungle....

R118 road works

En route we stumbled across a lost Aussie farmer....

My old mate Murray Kassebaum, now 80 yrs of age & retired on his 80 rai farm in the wilds of Wiang Pao (3 kms off the asphalt highway). Murray’s been out in the WPP boonies for 20 yrs farming & knows the land better than anyone else out there now. (For you guys who knew Murray from his early days in Cnx, PM me & I’ll give you his mobile number. He does not mind the odd white guy visiting him.)

Eventually we came to a river that we unfortunately had to cross. The river was very low, the banks were steep, dry & crumbling

so we took the main Kok river bridge & carried on North along the ancient 4-lane highway, searching for the hidden turn off to the Golden Horse temple.

Finally we succumbed to thirst & forced ourselves to stop for a drink (but no 7-11 out here). And lo & behold this was the secret entrance to the Golden Horse trail.

Further on another secluded secret sign indicated we could be on the right track.

Soon a horse appeared soaring up into the sky & I knew this was it

As if to herald our arrival the young monks arrived from out of nowhere

(It was lunch time!)

Mythical characters guarded the temple

including “golliwogs”

Satisfied with our success,

Silverhawk & I set off in search of the hidden long neck tribe

En route Silverhawk had a narrow escape with a gigantic smoking pig

At a remote isolated corner deep in urban Golden Triangle we saw a small tell tale sign of the long neck village

after several more tortuous kilometers we arrived at the entrance to the exotic long neck enclave

we attempted to enter, but alas our funds were exhausted & we did not have the 500 baht admission fee to the secret site.

Reluctantly we beat a hasty retreat & discovered what I thought was a kindergarten, but it was the Ban Vanna Resort, complete with numerous animal statues outside each room.

We clawed our way back to CEI to recover from the expedition.
3 nights later I was back on the new road being cut through the jungle, heading home to Chiang Mai.
And what a beauty R118 is going to be when it's finished....

Pic above: R118 just north of Doi Saket.

Silverhawk thank's for leading me astray with this trip & report.
It was fun - what about lunch at the hot springs in 40 degree heat?
Ha. Ha.
Ah, but it was just another GT Rider day at the office.

 

[SilverhawkUSA]

Silverhawk thank's for leading me astray with this trip & report.
It was fun - what about lunch at the hot springs in 40 degree heat?
Ha. ha. It was just another day at the office.

Yeah well I didn't quite know how to fit that one in with the "Legend". It was pretty entertaining to see people waiting on the side of the road to wave at us and taking photos. I thought "How did they know we were coming?". It seems part of our "7 hour GPSing journey" followed the enduro route I had stumbled across earlier. They thought we were two falangs putting along in the enduro event.

Then in fearless leaders great wisdom, as stated, while looking for a nice stream or river for a break from the heat, we stop at a hot spring with Karaoke machines blaring. It was funny watching the tour vans pulling in with unsuspecting foreigners in tow to look at "Amazing Thailand" !

And these are only part of the "tales" that could be told......:shock:

 

[cdrw]

Nice pix, guys...and SilverHawks embellishments made the report even more enjoyable.

 

[danwhite]

Hi

Very funny post.... The source story is over the top. This is what appeared in the much missed Jack magazine when the story first broke and before the circus got underway..... It is a genuine story.

http://www.danwhite.org/Html_low_res/Mo ... others.htm

Cheers

Dan

 

[SilverhawkUSA]

danwhite wrote: Hi

Very funny post.... The source story is over the top. This is what appeared in the much missed Jack magazine when the story first broke and before the circus got underway..... It is a genuine story.

http://www.danwhite.org/Html_low_res/Mo ... others.htm

Cheers

Dan

Wow, great addition Dan, thanks. I find the varied backgrounds and professions of people that read and contribute to this forum really interesting. It's very nice when true journalists come forward.

Obviously I was being pretty irreverent and frivolous in my reporting of our trip, but the works that were done there in the past are most laudable. Yes, as many things in Thailand, it has now turned into somewhat of a "circus" (to use Dan's words) which is a shame.

Equally fascinating is how much this area must have changed in the last ten years. Dan's article refers to the start of this *legend* around 1998 (although the actual dates vary between writers) . Now, a mere 10 years later, this area is within walking distance of one of the busiest main thoroughfares in the north, Hwy 1. The small villages show no visible signs of the past and the children are playing and picnicking in the streams and rivers as organized motorcycle events whiz past

How much of this change can be attributed to Abbot Khru Ba Mua Chai would be difficult to determine but is a great tale none the less.

 

[danwhite]

Indeed!..... These stories get passed around until they have no relation to the reality. The horse temple is a classic example. They probably have more journalists up there than horses these days.

 

[wimpy]

:lol: :lol: :lol: Thanks!

 

[thailasse]

Thailasse and friends visit here also in last june. Awesome place and glorious lacation. This is the most interesting places where I have been to North Thailand. SilverhawkUSA, Davidfl & co., many thanks for great trip reports and tips :!:

The Golden Horse Monastery, Buddha's Lost Children
Date: 16.06.2008
The Way: Thaton - Kiu Sataa - Mae Chan - Mae Kham - The Golden Horse Monastery - Chiang Rai
Route: 1089-1
Distance: 143km.
Total time: 5h 40min.
Riders: thailasse and three thaillasses friends
Bikes: 4 x Honda AX-1

Here are a few picture of our little adventure day to The Golden Horse Monastery.

The Pics:
Lasse's Paradise
http://www.saunalahti.fi/lassek1

This trip began from Thaton. Thaton morning market.

Monks on the road

Ready to go

Drinking break, Kiu Sataa check point / police box

Guiding plate , a few kilometers from 1 -highway and Mae Kham

The Golden Horse Monastery

Thai boxing area

Horse place

We were told that this is a Khru Bah home in the golden horse monastery.

Mountain temple / The Golden Horse Temple. Up here of temple, we had also.

Stuba and "thai boxers" up to mountain, temple is near and the back side this stuba

Up to temple, The Golden Horse Monastery is front side

The Golden Horse Temple

Cave

Here are some more links if anyone is interested in this place even more

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha's_Lost_Children (Buddha's Lost Children Wikipedia)
http://www.buddhaslostchildren.com/BLCdvd.htm (Buddha's Lost Children DVD)
http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/budd ... heart.html (The Buddhist Monk with cowboy heart)
http://valleyboyabroad.blog-city.com/th ... temple.htm (The fighting monks of the golden horse temple)
http://www.chiangmainews.com/indepth/details.php?id=470 (Golden Horse Monastery)
(Buddha's Lost Children trailer)
(Golden Horse Monastery - thailand)
http://www.tourismchiangrai.com/cr/thampa_archathong/ (The Golden Horse Monastery Thai info)

Buddha's Lost Children 1/14 (documentary)

"Buddha's Lost Children is a 2006 documentary film by Dutch director Mark Verkerk. The feature film tells the story of Khru Bah Neua Chai Kositto, a Buddhist monk who has dedicated his life to orphaned children in the Golden Triangle area of Thailand."

 

[DavidFL]

Bump. :wink:

 

[thailasse]

Davidfl wrote: Bump. :wink:

Thanks Davidfl. Edit. :wink:

 

[DavidFL]

Bump yet again. This time for Rod. :wave:

 

[Auke]

I have a copy of http://www.buddhaslostchildren.com/BLCdvd.htm (Buddha's Lost Children DVD) - there are 2 DVD's - one with the movie and the other one with all kinds of bits and pieces left over from the whole filming period. In case someone would like to borrow it just let me know.

 

[DavidFL]

A nice vdo clip from the Bangkok Post

 

[DavidFL]

For the guy asking about the Golden Horse temple in Chiangkhong a few days ago
Another link and great report on gtr

Monks on Horseback - Ordination of Novices.

WHEN: 19th April, 2011 WHERE: Wat Tham Pa A Cha Thom (Golden Horse Temple) - Mae Chan WEATHER: Morning - fine; Afternoon - massive storm. ROUTE: UP - R118, H1; Return - H1, R1089, R107. How wonderful at this time of year are the early morning starts where the sun, reddened by the haze...

www.gt-rider.com