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Elephant Gate

Elephant Gate

Koh Samui’s century-old architectural monuments attract many international visitors all year round. Many history buffs come here to explore its historic temples, some featuring giant stone carved sculptures and monuments. One popular structure is the Elephant Gate, located off 4170 Road.

Nestled towards the south-western corner of the Island, this awe-inspiring structure features two huge elephant statues at the entrance to Taling Ngam Village.

Elephant Gate Koh Samui, Thailand

The Elephant Gate was built back in 1979 by a head monk of a local temple. The head monk Pra-kru Pairoj Kiriwong wanted to beautify the entrance to the village so he decided to build a beautiful gate at its entrance. His aim was to encourage all passers-by to visit this quaint village and its beautiful temple.

Each of the gate’s two elephant statues is life-sized representations of an elephant and are well crafted to represent the importance of elephants in the local culture. Although this village doesn’t have any popular tourist attractions, you won’t be disappointed when visiting this beautiful and secluded village.

After the recent restoration project, the statues are again in a grand state; however, the original gemstone eyes have been removed from the structures. After the next royal ceremony, gemstone eyes will be again placed back on the elephants. In the meantime, you will notice painted eyes in the place of the original gemstones.

Visitors to Koh Samui often miss this famous structure, so be sure to take some time out and plan a trip to Taling Ngam to see this beautiful gate.

About the author

Michael Jones

Michael created and runs the Koh Samui Travel Hub website, as well as the Holiday Point travel brand that incorporates a network of 16 location based travel information and attraction websites around Australia, Asia, and around the world.

With 25+ years of online experience and a passion for travel (having visited Koh Samui many times), Michael not only researches and writes content for the website, he also tinkers behind the scenes with the website functionality & design.

Please reach out if you have any questions or suggestions.

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What is the Elephant Gate address?
South-East on the 4170 Highway
Between Ban Saket and Thong Krut, Taling Ngam, Koh Samui

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