Thrilled… to be too close to a Tiger

The Tiger Temple Experience

For a person who had been bitten by a travel bug, I always have wished to visit places which are yet unexplored or out of the ordinary. On expressing this particular claim of mine, a friend popped me a question, “Have you been to the Tiger temple yet?” I was taken aback, not because of the question, but because of the aura of mysticism surrounding the place. I made up my mind that to get the feel of the now famous temple in Thailand, no time must be lost. I spent my next few days planning an elaborate itinerary and then I went, to Bangkok.

A visit to the Tiger Temple:

Located a little away from Kanchanburi, the Tiger temple is a couple of hours away from the main city. After taking in the sight and sounds of Bangkok, I decided to take a bus which was inclusive of my fee to visit the Tiger Temple or Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno. Reaching the gates of the temple we all tourists waited with bated breath and were told that at 9 am our tour will begin.

An astonishing sight was when we see the beast in all age groups being made to stroll the campus freely leashed and led by Buddhist monks! How majestic these tigers looked which made my mind go back to the days of the royalty when breeding a tiger was the idea of fun for the arrogant princes and princesses.

We were told that this temple housed an injured cub way back in 1998 and ever since, the locals have got this belief that the tigers are taken care of by the Buddhist monks here. Today close to 75 tigers are rescued and treated by the monks.

Later that days, after shelling out a few dollars, we were treated to a close encounter with the beast of the jungle to touch them and pose with them.

This is a very unique experience and gives every brave heart his moment of truth. The tiger temple with its ornate decorations on the walls is majestic by itself and a minute we are lost in the feel of the Tiger temple. Earlier these tigers used to roam freely, but with the passing days and with the influx in the numbers of tourists, these tigers have to be leashed. Our trip lasted for sometime as many of our group went ahead to pose with these tigers. These tigers appear harmless and that is very unnerving for a first timer. However the tigers are not left alone with the visitors, rather an attendant always sits nearby to guide you. There are three slots every day when you would also be able to feed the tigers and I had witnessed the cubs getting fed at 1.30pm. The other time when you can feed the tigers are at 2.15 pm and 3pm. I realized that the tiger cubs from up close are very cuddly and endearing.

Guidelines for the Tourists:

Our small group of tourists enjoyed going around and getting a little settled with the adult and cubs in the temple area. There are few guidelines for the tourists like us:
Since the temple monastery has monks taking care of the tigers, the temple follows strict guidelines with regards to clothing like men and women must wear fully covered clothes and inappropriate casual wear like strap tops, shorts, skirts or sarongs should not be worn as it may hurt the sentiments of these monks.
No bright colored clothes especially red should be worn too.
The fees for entering the temple is 600 baht(the local currency)
For an extra 1000 baht, you can get your photo taken with the tiger
Alcohol is not permitted inside the monastery

Other spots worth visiting:

Spending a little money would ensure you a trip to the nearby now-famous Bridge on the River Kwai which still bears the last vestiges of World War II

You can get toys from the monks to let the tiger cubs chase it and play with it.

Day trips are arranged every day from Bangkok, and it takes only 2.5 hours to reach here.

However, many tour operators may claim they know which Tiger temple to take you, while they may not, but insist on taking you to Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno.

As the sun set in the horizon and we made our way back from the Tiger temple, amidst sounds of low growls of the tigers prowling around, I thought of the mysteries which Nature held in her bosom- few unexplained and few very clear and a visit here is for all the people who are as passionate about tigers.