Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Shrine

Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Shrine is a revered Chinese shrine located on Anoru Road in Anoru Subdistrict, Mueang Pattani District, Pattani town. Dedicated to Lim Ko Niao, it is one of the most important Chinese shrines in southern Thailand. The shrine houses a wooden sculpture of Lim Ko Niao and exhibits related artifacts, attracting Thai-Chinese devotees and visitors interested in local history and culture.

Visitors can expect a traditional Chinese shrine complex in central Pattani town with ornate architecture, incense-filled prayer halls, altars, and a wooden statue of Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao. The interior displays historical artifacts and offerings. The surroundings include offering stalls and a courtyard. Visitors can observe prayer rituals, view decorative woodcarvings and Chinese inscriptions, and learn about the local legend associated with the shrine.

The shrine is associated with the legend of Lim Ko Niao, sister of Lim To Khiam (Lin Daoqian), a Chinese merchant from the Ming Dynasty period. According to tradition, she travelled to Pattani to persuade her brother to return to China and, after failing, took her own life. Local devotees enshrined her wooden image. The shrine, also known as Leng Chu Kiang, is believed to have been established in the late 16th century and has been renovated over time.

The shrine is a major spiritual center for the Thai-Chinese community in Pattani and southern Thailand. It is dedicated to Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, revered as a protective deity. The annual Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Festival, held around Chinese New Year, involves processions carrying the deity's image through Pattani town and attracts devotees from across the region, reflecting Chinese cultural heritage and local traditions.