Pindaya Caves

The Shwe U Min cave runs back into a limestone ridge above Pindaya, and over the centuries donors have filled it: more than eight thousand Buddha images in alabaster, teak, marble, lacquer and brick, packed into every chamber and alcove, ranging from a few centimetres to several metres. New ones are still being added and are dated, so the sequence is legible. Passages lead several hundred metres into the hill, lit and narrow in places, and the whole effect is of accumulation rather than design.

What you actually see

• The image chambers - over eight thousand Buddhas in stone, wood and lacquer, packed together.
• The passages - narrow lit corridors running several hundred metres into the ridge.
• The dated donations - recent images inscribed with their year, showing the practice continuing.
• The terrace view - the lake and the valley below the cave entrance.

When to go

October to March is dry and cool. Mornings are quietest. Shan State festivals bring crowds, and the cave is small enough that a tour group changes the atmosphere completely.

Honest expectations

Passages are low and narrow in places and are not suitable for anyone with mobility problems, though a lift now reaches the entrance. Shoes off inside. The town of Pindaya itself is small and there is little else to do there.

Nearby

Kalaw is about an hour south, and Inle Lake is a couple of hours southeast.