Sin Chai Tueng Guan Yu Shrine

Sin Chai Tueng is the Guan Yu shrine of Takua Pa Old Town, a Hokkien Chinese shrine on Thanon Udom Thara near its corner with Thanon Sri Takua Pa. Locals also call it Rong Phra Talat Tai, “the south market shrine”. It is one of the oldest of the 13 Chinese shrines in Takua Pa district, and the town’s municipality names it as the birthplace of the local vegetarian festival. Entry is free and it is open daily from 06:00 to 18:00.

What to expect

The main shrine sits inside a Sino-Portuguese shophouse that blends into the row around it; look for the red doors. Inside, a bearded, armoured Guan Yu stands at the centre of a crowded altar under a banner reading 關聖夫子, surrounded by dozens of smaller carved deities, brass incense pots and offerings of fruit.

Across the street, the shrine’s second building looks nothing like a shophouse. A white marble Guanyin with two attendants stands in front of an incense burner, framed by a pair of pillars wrapped in gold and blue dragons. Behind her, three red doors open into halls for Mazu (天上聖母), Guanyin (觀音佛祖) and all the other gods (眾大神明).

Insider Tip: Carry on past the Guanyin hall to the back. The century-old ordination hall of Wat Na Mueang stands there, registered as a monument in 2002, and nearby sits a steam boiler from one of the steamships that once traded between Takua Pa, Phuket and Penang.

Atmosphere and timing

On an ordinary weekday the shrine is quiet, and you may have the Guanyin hall to yourself. It changes completely during the vegetarian festival in the ninth lunar month, usually late September to October. For nine days and nine nights the street around it fills with food stalls and worshippers in white, the Ko Teng lantern pole goes up out front, and processions carry the deities through the old town.

Watch out: Dress as you would for a temple, with shoulders and knees covered, and don’t point your feet at the altars. Ask before photographing anyone praying.

Practical information

The shrine is a two-minute walk from the shophouse streets of Takua Pa Old Town, so combine the two, ideally on a Sunday afternoon when the walking street market is on. From Khao Lak it is about 30 km north by car or taxi. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival runs on the same lunar dates and draws far bigger crowds; Takua Pa’s version is the smaller, more local one.