The Heroines monument

The Heroines monument

The heroine’s monument also known as Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Sunthon, is a national monument awarded to the sisters Muk and Chan for their courage and strength to defend Thalang from the Burmese invasion in 1785. The orders to build the monument was by King Rama VI in 1909, 124 years after the invasion, the monument was completed in 1967 and king Rama IX held the grand opening ceremony.

The statues are exact life size statues of the two heroines standing side by side. The statue stands on a marble base. Under the life size statue, there is a smaller statue decorated with gold pieces of paper. When travelling it is a popular belief that you should pray to the sisters before leaving for protection during your journey. The monument lays on a roundabout on the main highway (402) between the airport and Phuket town. It is an important landmark of the island.

The Thao Thepkasattri-Thao Sri Suntorn Festival is held in March to commemorate victory over the Burmese. The event takes place in various locations in Thalang area, north of Phuket including Heroines’ Monument and Wat Pranangsang.  The festival covers many cultural and sporting activities. The festival features bicycle racing, a takraw (volleyball played with the feet) tournament, a tug o’ war, a mini-marathon as well as an ‘uppasombot moo’ (Buddhist ordination) ceremony. The fair is mainly aimed at locals but tourists are welcome as well. The festival’s highlight is the play re-enacting the battle against the Burmese, in which the two sisters bravely led the locals to victory against the Burmese.