Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda

The festival is held in October each year. The festival is the most spectacular festivals in Myanmar. Four of the Buddha images are place in the imitation royal barge and are rowed around the lake stopping each monastery. There are boat races during the festival with three long boats with 100 leg rowers in each boat competing.

Pindaya

Pindaya is a small, charming town, centered round a lake, called Nattamiekan or Angels Lake. The main sight in the area is Pindaya Cave ( Shwe Oo Min Cave ) - the limestone caves contain a maze of chambers with 6,226 Buddha statues. Some of the images are tiny, others are huge, and are made of white marble, bronze or plaster, coated with gold leaf. Some of the smaller caves within the complex serve as meditation chambers. The main stupa dates from the 12 th century. This small town in Central Myanmar is ideal for an excursion on the way from Bagan / Mandalay to Taunggyi and Lugu Lake.

Pindaya is situated at 1164-m above sea level and is 40-km from Kalaw. It is noted for its extensive limestone caves and Shwe U Min Paya which is full of Buddha images of about 8000 a and picturesque Boutaloke Lake. Pindaya itself is a center for the Myanmar speaking Taung-yo people. Local handicrafts include Shan paper and parasols made from mulberry bark.

The town's symbol is a spider. According to the legend, seven princesses bathing in the lake took refuge in the cave during a storm where they were imprisoned by a giant spider. It is a good place to begin short treks to surrounding Danu , Pa -O, Palaung and taung-yo villages.

Pindaya Caves

The Pindaya caves are in limestone ridge overlooking the Pindaya lake and is full of thousands of Buddha images made from alabaster, teak, marble, brick, lacquer and cement which have been put there over centuries and arranged in such a way as to form a labyrinth throughout the various cave chambers. In these caves, you may come across lay people practicing meditation. The Pindaya caves are in limestone ridge overlooking the Pindaya lake and is full of thousands of Buddha images made from alabaster, teak, marble, brick, lacquer and cement which have been put there over centuries and arranged in such a way as to form a labyrinth throughout the various cave chambers. In these caves, you may come across lay people practicing meditation.

Kekku the hidden treasure

There was an old Shan farmer couple living near Kekku Pagoda. One evening the old couple saw the glittering light coming out from the bushes. They tried to dig the light but was not successful. Then one pig from a group of wild pigs helped the couple by digging the earth with her nose. Eventually there was success and the couple found some relics & Buddha statues in silver & gold. A small pagoda was built covering the relics & images & it was named " Wet-Ku " meaning the pagoda was built with the assistance from the pig. Wet stands for pig & Ku means help. As times part the name Wet-Ku was changed to Kekku.

We don't exactly know who built the pagoda but according to the legend there were over 2400 pagodas at the side with 2 big staircecases coming up from the northern & south eastern side of the pagoda. There was also a big bell used to warn the people around when the Chinese invades. Eventually the invading Chinese pushed the bell into the stream down into the valley & the bell was never found.

Sanga Sightseeing

Natalyoe near to Sanga	Sanga Sight Seeing	Tarkong Pagoda	Lunch near Sanga

Tar-Kaung Pagodas

King Alaung Sithu ( AD 1113 – 1163 ) of Bagan toured around Inle Lake on royal barge. His route was duly recorded in writing. The pagoda was Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda or Shwe Thantaung Pagoda & the following pagodas were built by King Alaung Sithu.

1. Shwe Thantaung Pagoda
2. Shwe Inndaing Pagoda
3. Alodaw Pauk Pagoda
4. Taungtoe-Hinthakya Pagoda
5. Mawpi Pagoda, and
6. Tar-Kaung Pagodas, which is quite well-known in the south of Inle Lake.

The most well known is Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda with yearly worshipping ceremony of it's Buddha Statues which are conveyed around on a decorated barge in Inle.

Amongst these pagodas Tar-Khaung Pagoda well known for it's ancient designs & forms. Most of the shrines are in good condition & retains art work & structures dating back 500 yrs. It is built with different artistic style and it's unequalled anywhere in Shan State.

Especially, the Reclining Buddha Image at the Tar-Khaung has all along been emellished with different artistic styles, and so is unequalled by any other image in southern Shan States. It is also to be noted that numerous as the reclining Buddha images are in Myanmar, there are none as wondrous, or aweinspiring, as the Reclning Buddha Image at Tar-Khaung Pagodas.

Shwe Inndaing Pagoda is for it's numerous shrines decorated with paintings & artwork of ancient Bagan origin.

Alodaw Pauk Pagoda is well-known for its Patronage by famous ancient monarchs and most venerable.

Tar-Khaung Pagoda with its group of shrines TarKhaung Village, falling in the domain of Sagar TarKhaung region boasts many ancient structures here are mostly Shans, along with Pa Os, Innthas and Taungyoes, who was as good Buddhists built many pagodas close to one another. Across from TarKhaung on the eastern bank of Belu Chaung Creek stands ancient Yun ( Shan ) town, still with some remains of its town wall.
 

Among the donated pagodas of King Alaungsithu still standing in Inle region in southern Shan State, the Alodaw Pauk, TarKhaung and ancient Payani Pagoda are noteworthy in that they have been visited by a famous Sayadaw from Singapore who donated a lot to repair & renovate the pagoda.