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Environment
 Pindaya is
a small quiet town perched on the bank of the
placid Botoloke Lake. Pindaya cave is a huge
cavern where hundreds and thousands of Buddha
images in various size and shape are installed
since the 11th century. The winding galleries
and nooks and corners are ideal places of
insight meditation since the olden days. Huge
monastery compounds with numerous pagodas and
temples in different stages of dilapidation are
much respected by such ethnic groups as the
Shans, Danus and Paos living in the environs of
Pindaya.
Famous Places In PINDAYA
Pindaya
Cave
 The
ancient caves are about one mile southwest of
the town, and can be reached by taking a
horse-cart, or motoring there by jeep or just
walking along on foot. Except for the young and
energetic, the best way is to go leisurely be
horse-cart to the foot of the hills, reserving
your energy for the 200 steps up the covered
stairway leading to the cave entrance and for
exploring the huge meandering maze made up of
numerous caves. The caves are supposed to be
200,00 million years old and since ancient times
they have been places of worship and veneration
with 8,094 Buddha images made from
various
materials like teak wood, marble, alabaster,
brick, cement and lacquer, and all enshrined in
the nooks and corners of the winding caverns. At
the entrance to the main cave thee is a pagoda
50 feet in height. This pagoda is called Shwe
U-min Hpaya or the Golden Cave pagoda.
The
tazaung or prayer hall was built by the famous
hermit U Khanti who also built many of the
religious edifices on Mandalay Hill. The entire
length of the cave is 490 feet. The numerous
stalactites and stalagmites in these limestone
caves, from fanciful shapes and have given rise
to such names as the "Fairy Princess Loom",
"Posts for tying horses and elephants" and so
on. Some of the smaller caves used meditation
chanmers are accessible only if you crawl in on
your knees and elbows. Visitors should plan to
stay for one or two nights in Pindaya to explore
the natural beauties all around; the tranquil
lake, the limestone caves, the ancient pagodas
and images and the lovely old trees.
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