Nestled deep in
the rural hinterland west of the Chindwin River is one of the most hidden gems
worth experiencing in the Monywa region. The Pho Win Taung is an elaborate
Buddhist cave complex about 25 kilometers west of Monywa. The name translates as Mountain of Isolated
Meditation. This area contains hundreds
rock-cut chambers and caves that are exquisitely decorated.
Despite the
great vibes you get from walking around the complex is not in the best
condition. There are no tourist friendly
shops here other than a ticket office.
You are pretty much free to roam around on your own accord with little
supervision.
This area was
carved sometime between the 14th-18th centuries, the
first group of caves, nearest to the village, contain a large number of wood
and stucco Buddhas, and a few retain some geometric patterns and episodes from
the Jatakas. The areas inside the cave
that aren’t exposed to the weather are in relatively good condition but the
areas that are exposed have seen their best times behind them.
An absolute
must-do when visiting this spiritual complex is to hire a local to feed the
packs of roving monkeys that are running wild here. My tourist guide took care of it for me and
it was really quite vital since the monkeys are used to be people and can be
quite bold and sometimes aggressive.
There are plenty of ladies standing around when visitors come to offer
their fruit and know when and where to feed the monkeys.
The image chambers has been tunneled into the rock, which contain narrow galleries that are mostly under 5-21 meters long 3-8 meters high. The majority of the caves are 2-5 meters deep, and the entrance of the caves are decorated with traditional Kanot designs.
The Pho Win
Taung cave complex is amazing to visit and the attention to detail is
exquisite. I spent about an hour and a
half here and think I managed to see everything in that time. You’ll see plenty of monks also there and they
will be asking for donations too. Just
remember that this is a holy institution and if you enter any of the caves you
must remove your shoes.
The other place
to see that is just minutes away in a neighboring village called Shwebataung
lays another complex of 46 rock-cut monuments.
Carved into the stone it is reminiscent of the Petra in Jordan. To enter you walk down a stone cut staircase
below and have the option of going straight or turning right. It doesn’t matter which direction you go in
the labyrinth since the main staircase is the only entrance. The statues and monuments are big so make
sure you have a wide lens to capture them in its entirety.
The area was
originally a flat sandstone outcrop and deep and narrow pathways have been
painstakingly carved out of the rock by hand.
The sides were carved out to create rows of temples each with its own
unique style. The evidence that they
carved from the top and worked their way down is by the strategic holes on the
side of the temples. I witnessed this
same approach when I visited the Petra in 2013 and my tour guide then explained
how they did it.
There are some
temples that are unfinished but most of them were finished in the 20th
century. There are plenty of food stalls
and stands for souvenirs nearby too. It
shouldn’t take you more than 45 minutes to see the entire labyrinth. Just remember to take off your shoes
too. This is worth checking out and a
testament to human perseverance because it’s carved out all by hand!
Happy traveling
