The origin:

Another large and beautiful ancient shrine in Phuket preserves the knowledge of Chinese ancestors. It is a place where people come to ask for blessings for good health and to recover from illness from “Lord Por Seng Tai Te” or Hong Choy Yin, who is an expert in traditional Chinese medicine. People also pay homage to the great Lord Guan Yu (Lord Te Kun), the God of Loyalty, the largest in Phuket.

‘The Lim Su Cho Ngo Jin Ee Shrine, also known as Aam Tha Ruea, is a religious place that collects knowledge about Chinese ancestors who traveled to Phuket. Those Chinese ancestors also brought beliefs and various ceremonies for the people of Phuket to practice as well. For example, when it comes to the vegetarian festival, the people of Phuket will also come to participate in the ceremony. As the Tha Ruea Shrine is yet another ancient shrine situated in Phuket.

History:

The Tha Ruea Shrine has a statue of ‘Lord Por Seng Tai Te’ (Hong Choy Yin) as the main deity. ‘Hong Choy Yin was a Chinese physician who specialized in the treatment of ailments through the use of herbs. He used the method of pulse sensing, which involves taking the patient’s pulse at the wrist, to analyze the disease. This method is deemed to be quite precise. Hong Choy Yin, who inherited his knowledge of Chinese medicine from his family, cured many patients, earning him the nickname “The God of Life-Saving.” It is revered by people from Fujian, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Due to his good deeds and ability to heal people, someone collected the book of medicine Hong Choy Yin used to treat people and compiled it into an encyclopedia of Chinese herbs. It has been translated into numerous languages and distributed to libraries across numerous nations.

It is said that in the past, when the villagers of Ban Tha Ruea fell ill, they would perform a ceremony to invite the spirit of the deity Po Seng Tai Te (Hong Jin Yin) to possess a medium to heal the sick. At that time, since there was no shrine in Ban Tha Ruea, the medium would treat the sick in the villagers’ homes without charging for the treatment.

As people recovered from illness, faith grew in the “Doctor Monk”. Money was donated as medical fees. Some even donated land. The committee and villagers agreed that a shrine should be built to serve as a community center for various rituals. If more land was needed, nearby areas could be purchased. Tha Ruea Shrine thus arose from the villagers’ and committee’s faith. Later, a building was constructed on donated land. Then the ownership rights and funds were handed over to the Ministry of Interior to oversee.

In 2343 B.E., the committee resolved to renovate the shrine building into two floors. The Department of Highways expanded the road, making the shrine area narrow. Land was purchased behind and beside the shrine to expand the area and construct a new shrine. The architectural style of the Nanjing Confucius Temple in China was adapted to accommodate the rituals. The Shrine has been a sacred place of worship for the Ban Tha Ruea community to this day.

Rituals & Traditions

The annual traditional ceremonies of the Tha Reua Shrine include ‘The Saeyid Day’ or the birthday of the deity (Chinese god) to commemorate the history and good deeds of each deity, and the Vegetarian Festival on the 9th day of the 9th month for 9 days and 9 nights according to the Chinese calendar.

Address:

169 Thepkrasattri Road, Srisunthon Sub-district, Thalang District, Phuket 83110

Open : 08.00-17.00 hrs.

Source: https://srisunthon.go.th/