Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Graveyard

The Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao graveyard is a Chinese cemetery and shrine at Ban Krue Se in Mueang Pattani, beside Highway 42 near the historic Krue Se Mosque. It’s tied to the legend of Lim Ko Niao (Lin Guniang), a young Chinese woman venerated across Pattani’s Thai-Chinese community — not a beach or an island, but a quiet roadside site of pilgrimage on the Gulf coast. Entry is free and there’s no set closing time.

According to the legend, Lim Ko Niao sailed from China in the 16th century to bring home her brother, Lim To Kiam, who had settled in Pattani, married locally, and converted to Islam. When he refused to return, she is said to have hanged herself from a cashew-nut tree in grief, and her brother buried her here. She’s now honoured as a guardian spirit, and her main shrine — Leng Chu Kiang in Pattani town — draws large crowds every Chinese New Year, when devotees carry her image through the streets.

The graveyard itself is modest: weathered Chinese tombs, a small shrine structure, and a steady trickle of worshippers leaving incense, fruit, and red paper offerings. It’s most interesting as a window into the deep Chinese heritage of the Pattani coast and how it sits alongside the area’s strong Malay-Muslim culture — the graveyard is within sight of one of the south’s most important mosques, and the two communities’ histories are genuinely intertwined here rather than just adjacent.

Insider Tip: Combine the visit with Krue Se Mosque next door rather than making a special trip for the graveyard alone — the two sit close enough to cover on foot, and together they tell a more complete story of Pattani’s mixed religious history than either does on its own.

Watch out: This is both an active burial ground and a place of worship, so dress modestly and keep noise down, particularly if a family is present making offerings.

The site is on Highway 42 between Pattani town and Krue Se Mosque, reached by car or motorbike — there’s no boat or island involved despite what the name might suggest to first-time visitors. Thailand’s deep south sees very few tourists and has an ongoing, low-level security situation in Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat provinces; several governments’ travel advisories currently recommend reconsidering travel here, so check current guidance before planning a visit, and avoid travelling at night or straying off main roads.