ThenGuan Yu faith in the mining town: The origins of the South Market Shrine
1843 CE (an oral account; not verified)
Conflicting informationAn account recorded by Gplace says that Hokkien Chinese people who came to mine in Khlong Pi community joined together to build a Guan Yu shrine, with Lim Bun Tuek involved in its founding, and began a nine-day, nine-night Vegetarian Festival ritual in 1843 CE. The same source spells personal names inconsistently, and no primary evidence has been found, so this should be read as an origin legend, not a verified year
At that time, Takua Pa was a coastal town growing through tin mining and Hokkien Chinese merchant networks. The shrine therefore likely served both as a home for the community's protective deity and as a ritual centre for miners and merchants. This is consistent with the municipality's description that the shrine arose from Hokkien Chinese faith and was the origin of Takua Pa's Vegetarian Festival, but the year and builder have not been verified in academic documents.
BeforeFrom a community shrine to the South Market Shrine in the old town
1902 CE (an oral account; not verified) · before 2024 CE
Not verifiedGplace says the shrine was moved from Khlong Pi community to a permanent site at Ban Chae Lim in Talat Yai, and that funds were raised to buy a house in 1902 CE by Lim Eng Cheng, or Tao Kae Pho Daeng. However, no evidence has been found confirming the building date or transfer of ownership, so that year should not be treated as the construction year of the current shrine
The evidence found describes continuity in the site's role rather than a change of function: the shrine remains tied to Takua Pa's Vegetarian Festival, which has been passed down among Thai people of Chinese descent on the Andaman coast, and later became part of the Talat Yai old-town landscape. At the same time, no online evidence has been found confirming any restoration, abandonment, direct impact from the 2004 tsunami, or registration of this shrine as a historic site.
NowA shrine still breathing with the vegetarian festival
2569 / 2026
VerifiedThe latest news evidence found confirms the shrine's use as Talat Tai's vegetarian-festival shrine: on 2 October 2024, a Ko Teng pole-raising ceremony was held there to begin the Vegetarian Festival. The hanging of nine lanterns and continuing ceremonies show that the shrine remains a centre of community faith and shared activities, not merely an old building in the market area
For 2026, no source has confirmed opening hours, a custodian, admission fees, the building's latest condition, or a restoration project specifically for the shrine. Contact the community or municipality before travelling. Based on the information available, the shrine is near the junction of Thanon Udom Thara and Thanon Si Takua Pa in the Talat Yai area, and the confirmed activities are the Vegetarian Festival and the Ko Teng pole-raising ceremony.
